Ronald Wolfe, 72, was welcomed into the arms of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on Sunday, June 30, 2024, from his home in Bellegrove following a lengthy illness. He was the husband of Brenda (Hostetter) Wolfe, to whom he was married for 48 years.
Born at the Lebanon Sanatorium on May 18, 1952, Ron was the son of the late Earl A. Wolfe Sr. and Mary Ann (Gensler) Wolfe. One of seven children, he inherited an excellent work ethic from his parents, and as a young teenager, he delivered newspapers in Annville for John McClure and later worked at Kreider’s Grocery store on West Main Street. In 1970, just before graduating from ACHS, he was hired by Kraft in Palmyra, where he later met Brenda, worked in cheese packaging, and excelled in line maintenance.
In 1972, while working at Kraft, Ron was among the last group of young men drafted into military service during the Vietnam War. For two years, he was stationed with the U.S. Army in Schwabach, Germany, C Battery 2nd Battalion 59th ADA (Air Defense Artillery). He obtained the rank of Spec4 while being the senior gunner on the surface-to-air weapons system known as Chapparel, which is no longer in production. Ron received the National Defense Service Medal for Expert M16 Marksmanship and Expert Grenade.
Ron returned to Kraft in late 1974 and was employed a total of 22 years, until the plant closed in 1992. From there, it was to Hershey Chocolate 19 East and to West Hershey, retiring in 2019 after 27 years of employment and having made many, many friends.
After marriage, he became a faithful member of St. John’s E.C. Church, Steelstown, where he started a tape ministry to shut-ins and, at one time, was chairman of the Stewards, was Lay Delegate for a year or two, and did many odds and ends of woodworking and repair projects around the church, the parsonage, and the grove.
Ron was the general contractor for the building of his house in the early ’80s and was always involved in some type of fix-it-up or improvement project not only at his residence but at the homes of numerous friends, neighbors, and relatives. Of greatest importance to him were his faith in Christ, the welfare of his family, and his relationships with friends.
In addition to his parents, Ron was predeceased by his older brother, Earl A. “Skeet” Wolfe Jr. (1973); and brother-in-law, Robert Long (2023). Surviving are his wife, Brenda; sons, Adam (Jennifer Weaver) and Joel (Kimberly George); grandson, Levi Wolfe; sisters, Suanne (widow of Robert) Long and Cynthia (Donald) Shiner; and brothers, Michael (Susan), Dean, and Jerry (Terri) Wolfe.
The family wishes to thank Dawn, Lisa, Sandra, Alex, Lindsey, and Bonnie of WellSpan Hospice for their excellent care during the last three weeks of Ron’s life.
There will be a public viewing from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Kreamer’s Funeral Home in Annville and from 9:30-10:30 a.m. on Friday, July 5, 2024, at St. John’s E.C. Church, Steelstown, 683 Steelstown Road, Annville, followed by the funeral service at 10:30 a.m. at the church. After the service, a fellowship meal will be enjoyed at the Bellegrove Fire Company Social Hall, 1725 Blacks Bridge Road, Annville. The burial at Fort Indiantown Gap will start at at 2:30 p.m. The procession to the cemetery will leave the social hall promptly at 1:45 p.m. It will be livestreamed at www.ilovestjohns.org.
