OBIT: Regis Anthony WOLFF, 2003, of interest in Somerset County, PA
  
  Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Meyersdale Library
  Transcribed and proofread by Sharon Trosan 
  
  Copyright 2005.  All rights reserved.
  http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
  http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/somerset/
  _______________________________________________ 
  
  WOLFF
  
  Dr. Regis Anthony Wolff, 91, of Kittanning, beloved father of Marley
  Wolff of Naples, Fla., Peter Wolff of Pittsburgh, Casey Wolff of
  Naples, Fla., Wendy Becker Payton of London, England, Connie Wolff of
  Etna, the late Terry Wolff of Kittanning, Joshua Wolff of Severna
  Park, Md., Matthew Wolff of Ligonier, and Michael Wolff of Pound
  Ridge, N.Y. and grandfather of 12, died Aug. 27, 2003, peacefully at
  his home in Kittanning with his beloved, Twila Black.  Regis Wolff
  graduated from Oliver High School in 1930 and went on to attend the
  University of Pittsburgh on a golf scholarship until 1934.  He then
  went on to Medical School at the University of Pittsburgh and
  graduated in 1938.  This past June, Regis and seven other classmates
  celebrated their 65th Medical School reunion and were recognized as
  the oldest surviving graduating class.  He specialized in internal
  medicine and gastroenterology and proceeded to take post-graduate
  courses at the University of Chicago, Columbia University and Harvard
  University.  As a practicing physician at Allegheny General Hospital
  in Pittsburgh, he was instrumental in designing and testing the now
  commonly used gastroscope.  He later became Chief of Staff at
  Allegheny General Hospital; a title he held for four years.  Under
  his leadership, the gastroenterology department became the premier
  diagnostic and treatment center of its kind in Western
  Pennsylvania.  From 1970-1971, he was president of the American
  Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy as well as a charter member of
  the American Gastroscopic Club.  During his life as a
  gastroenterologist, he often reminded his colleagues, family and
  friends of the healthful benefits of keeping trim and fit with such
  simple endeavors as taking the stairs (two at a time for him) instead
  of the elevator.  He was one of the original advocates of the healthy
  benefits of antioxidants and always maintained, "I never took a nap
  that I didn't enjoy!"  Regis joined the gastroenterology department
  at Somerset Hospital in 1975 and Meyersdale Medical Center in 1980. 
  The 1959 scourge of polio personally affected him when the disease
  temporarily paralyzed his own son.  He took it upon himself to ensure
  that every resident in the rural valley and nearby farming communities
  was vaccinated against the affliction of polio.  He would meet
  patients on Sunday afternoon at Poorbaugh's General Store in Fairhope
  and give them their polio shots.  He would make house calls to anyone
  who needed his help and continued to do so even after his retirement
  at 78 years of age.  His kindness and consideration earned the
  respect of young and old alike who knew him affectionately as, Doc
  Wolff.  In 1955, he and the late Marjorie Casey Wolff purchased a
  small log cabin with no electricity or running water in a serene
  valley of the Allegheny Mountains.  There was plenty of room to roam
  but the land was wooded, rocky and very wet.  He had an uncanny
  ability to see the diamond in the rough.  His high energy level and
  love of the outdoors guided him in converting this rural wreck into a
  mountain retreat hideaway of extraordinary natural beauty.  He was the
  quintessential avid gardener.  Beginning with a patient's gift of 50
  daffodil bulbs in 1960, Regis planted, transplanted, propagated,
  incubated, fertilized, harvested and created a virtual
  mega-daffodopolis of over 125,000 bright blooming daffodils which
  appear like clockwork in all their glory every Spring.  He designed
  and built a mountain home that was in large part constructed with
  seasoned field stones harvested from his own property and furniture
  from his own black walnut trees.  He was founding member and past
  President of Pine Valley Hunting Club and, later the North Branch
  Hunting Club which encompassed over 2,500 acres in the White Horse
  Mountains East of Berlin.  The Hunting Club served as an outlet for
  Pa. State conservation and agricultural projects such as the planting
  of black walnut trees, white pine, blue spruce, multi-flora rose
  bushes and Russian olive trees.  These projects served as test cases
  for providing food and shelter for wildlife, particularly during the
  difficult winter months.  As a charter member of the Pittsburgh
  Rotary Club on the North Side, he was the recipient of the Paul
  Harris award for Exemplary Leadership.  He later became a member of
  the Somerset Rotary Club where he was recognized as a regular keynote
  speaker who combined skillful good humor and well-articulated
  presentations on such diverse subjects as medicine, gardening,
  conservation and wildlife preservation.  As founding member and past
  president of the Pittsburgh Ski Club, Regis originated the initial
  First Aid class on the ski slopes of the Laurel Highlands, which
  subsequently became the Ski Patrol of Seven Springs in Champion.  He
  help to design and build the first rope-tow ski lift in Pennsylvania
  with the use of an old truck engine secured to the top of a hill. 
  That was when bear-trap bindings on wood skis were the norm and poma
  lifts were a far off thought.  His love of the game of golf was
  influenced by his father, Charles Wolff, who was the first American
  born teaching professional in the country.  Together, the two of them
  won multiple father-son golf tournaments.  Regis was one of the
  founding members and the first team captain of the University of
  Pittsburgh golf club.  He later won the Western Pa. Amateur
  Championship.  For 60 years, Regis was a member of the Pittsburgh
  Field Club in Fox chapel where he was well known for his preference
  of walking the entire golf course rather than riding in a golf
  cart.  This penchant for combining golf and exercise lasted until he
  was 85 years old.  He served as the indefatigable senior member of
  the Grounds Committee from 1992-1997.  During his tenure with this
  committee, he personally transformed several sections around the golf
  course into veritable conservancy areas of bountiful shrubs and
  beautiful flowers.  His zeal in planning and planting hundreds of oak
  trees was legendary at the Field Club.  In conjunction with the
  guidelines of the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, he created
  the first recognized bird sanctuary on the property of a private golf
  club in Western Pa.  As an early riser, he initiated his family into
  the joys of attending 'the farmers mass' at 5:30 a.m. at St. John's
  Carmelite Monastery in New Baltimore, Pa. throughout the cold, autumn
  and winter months.  Often times he was the only parent with his
  children by [appears to be missing remaining columns]
  
  Daily American, August 28, 2003
  
  [W1674 to 1677]