Wolfe EvWOLFE, Evelyn - January 26, 2021 - We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our mother and grandmother, Evelyn Wolfe. Beloved daughter of the late Bertha and Israel Olanow.

Born Evelyn Olanow, on May 4, 1927, she was 'Dear' to our dad (Milton Wolfe), Mom to three children (Robbie and Ingrid, Annalee and Jeff, and Shari and Ron), Nana to 7 grandchildren (Eric, Liz, Stephanie, Benjamin, Jen, Zach and Danny), Auntie Ev to her many nieces and nephews, Evy to her many friends and bridge partners and @quarantinegrandma to the Instagram world.

She was a loving, free-spirited wife to our dad Milton z"l for over 50 years. They travelled the world together, and she also travelled extensively on her own. She mentioned recently that she was ready to be reunited with Dad, that he was the real love of her life, and was the one she still dreamed of, 17 years since his passing.

Ev was a dedicated baby sister to her three brothers, Lonnie (Ruth and Marie), Pitt (Betty) and Dave (Julie) Olkanow.

She became a part of Milt's family and was a loving and loved sister-in-law to Mildred and Henry Corb, Pearl and Louie Harnick and Mary and Ray Wolfe.

She loved her nieces and nephews (Warren, Joel, Paul, Donna, Wendy, Bruce, Judy, Joan, Marsha, Charlie, Mary-Anne, Carol, Suzy and Harriet) and their partners. The recent discovery of Bruce's daughter, her great-niece Jane, brought her tremendous joy.

But her pride and joy was her grandchildren. Her famous Mickey Mouse bedtime stories and Mickey Mouse waffles after a sleepover will never be forgotten. Nana never missed a single event of the grandkids: graduations from nursery school, kindergarten, junior school, high school, and university; dance recitals, spelling bees, hockey game, visitor's day at camp, birthday parties . she was there for them all.

She was a playwright and an author; her books were recognized as a true reflection of Jewish life in mid-20th century Toronto. For many years, she hosted a TV show where she interviewed the stars who were performing at the O'Keefe/Sony Centre. Werner Klemperer, Lucy Arnaz, Tommy Tune and many others had the honour of being interviewed by Evelyn Wolfe on Curtain Time!

Evy loved music and transferred this love to all of her children and grandchildren. She encouraged her children to learn to play instruments, which was a gift that we have appreciated greatly.

She had a passion for life and an uncanny ability to see humour in almost anything. She laughed at the world, she laughed at herself and she made all those around her laugh as well.

She was a proud descendent of Reb Nachman, and loved nothing more than to read about him, study his teachings and tell anyone she met that he was her great, great, great (maybe one more great) grandfather. She'd sit and watch youtube videos from Israel of people chanting "Na Na Nachman" with great pride and awe.

After Evy moved to her condo on Bay Street, her passion was being a volunteer at the ROM. She enjoyed helping school children on their ROM visits (she especially loved teaching about the dinosaur exhibit). Her biggest accomplishment was running the ROMBUS for many years, a program that offered bus trips for seniors to various destinations. Evy was the enthusiastic and knowledgeable tour planner as well as being the guide on the day of the trips.

Our family home was always open to those less fortunate or those who had no family in Toronto.

Throughout our lives, a collection of unique, interesting and often bizarre characters could be found at our shabbat dinners. She had a deep empathy for the underdog and the rebel . they were her "stray cats".

Evelyn Wolfe chose her own path through her entire life. She was a blend of the traditional and the modern. She had vitality and was in charge of her life until the end.

She was truly the matriarch of the family. She was one of a kind and irreplaceable.

If you'd like, please make a donation in Evy's memory to the donation of your choice, or the Milton Wolfe Covenant Fund at Baycrest.

We will plan a celebration of our mom's life for family and friends when COVID is over.

TorontoObituaries.com

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