Robert Wolff's Obituary
Robert “Bobby” Wolff, 76, of Medford Lakes, New Jersey, passed away on Wednesday, May 22, 2024 surrounded by his family. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Lorraine, his three children, Jordan (Sunhwa), Julia, and Danny Wolff, and two grandchildren, Ruby and Pearl Wolff. He was predeceased by his brother, Peter Wolff, his best friend and closest confidant, who died in 1993.
Beloved by all who knew him, Robert was born in Queens New York on June 2, 1947, the third son of Godfrey and Ellen (Heineberg) Wolff, refugees who narrowly escaped from Nazi Germany in the late 1930s. Growing up in a close-knit family of three boys in Kew Gardens New York, Bobby, the baby of the family, excelled at tennis and basketball, writing, outdoor activities, and was an enthusiastic and precocious student who graduated from Richmond Hill High School in 1964 as the editor of the school newspaper. He then went to Clark University where he majored in psychology (while “minoring” in the 1960s) and was the president of his fraternity. It was at Clark that Bobby met his best friends, Tilton and Carl, who would become cherished family to Bobby for the rest of his life.
Imbued with passion, generosity, and a deep concern for the well-being of his fellow man, Bobby moved to Boston where he threw himself into the spirit of the ‘60s, involving himself in civil rights rallies, anti-war protests, and experiments in communal living and food-growing. Ahead of his time, Bobby was especially active in nurturing a fruit and vegetable coop to bring fresh food to the city. His first job out of college, fittingly, was working with underprivileged children at a mental asylum in Boston. Bobby maintained a lifelong commitment to social justice and was ever quick to help his fellow in need. Bobby also found his shaggy dog, Rufus, around this time. Rufus was a best friend to Bobby and he missed her and talked about her for the rest of his life.
It was in Boston that Bobby met and wooed the love of his life, a woman from South Jersey named Lorraine Maire. The couple married in 1975, moved to New York City, and soon had their first son, Jordan. Then came their daughter, Julia, followed a few years later by their son, Danny, Bobby’s partner-in-crime and the apple of his eye.
In the late 70’s, Bobby, now a father and “responsible” adult, began working with his father at “Wolff Typewriter.” After arriving from Germany, Godfrey had started the typewriter repair company in Manhattan in the 1940s and grown it into a mid-size office equipment business by the late 1970s. Bobby soon found he had an aptitude for sales and the day-to-day nuts and bolts of running a business and eventually took over the helm of the business. “Wolff Typewriter” became “Wolff Computer” and was one of the few stores in New York City selling computers at the time. Running a retail operation was not a kind business, but Bobby loved every aspect of the business; he especially loved hiring people and seeing them thrive. There are dozens of people who got a chance from Bobby Wolff and owe much of their success later in life to him.
Bobby was also an innovator and a prescient predictor of trends: he foresaw the coming of the PC revolution and was a quick adapter of the internet for business use. After the end of Wolff Computer, Bobby rebounded and “rebranded” himself in the emerging digital events industry, an industry he would go on to work in for the last 30 years of his life. Bobby is considered one of the pioneers of the technology services section for event venues in the country and mentored many of the leaders of the industry.
Bobby was the rare person who actually loved what he did for the vast majority of his life. He also loved people. Bobby spent most of his adult life in Westchester, NY; first in Yonkers and later in Hastings-on-Hudson where the family lived for 33 years. He made friends easily and loved to laugh and joke, he was a beloved figure in the community in Hastings, with many friends having fond memories of attending local sporting events, playing basketball or poker, or just having a laugh with Bob.
Bobby will be remembered as a true goof-ball. Who needs a Halloween costume that makes sense when you can stick 2 pencils in your ears and confuse everyone you come in contact with? He was quirky and zany, maintaining a child-like sense of humor throughout his entire life which made him a very fun dad, uncle, Grand-Bob, and friend. He had the gift of creating fun and memorable situations out of the normal and mundane. Bobby loved to play games; charades with his brother Peter and nephew Jake, intricate guessing games he would make up to entertain the family on long cross-county car trips, or his weekly poker night with his Hastings crew. If there was a game or fun or silliness to be had, Bobby was always either instigating it or enthusiastically joining in.
His true love, however, was always his family. Bobby was a committed and engaged father who was deeply involved in his children’s lives, whether that was teaching them his own unique way of learning math, mentoring them in sports, or instructing them into the nuances of cheating at board games and fantasy sports. He was a devoted father who never missed a basketball game, track meet or soccer game and always supported his children no matter what they did. Generous to a fault, his greatest generosity he showed to his family and he made sure they never lacked for love and attention. He particularly doted on his granddaughters who he showered with affection, boyishly thrilled to view their artworks or just to be making pancakes with them on Sunday mornings. In later years, in ill health, he sometimes struggled to maintain his lust for life, but he never lost his spirit and desire to share the fun. He was truly the “life of the party” and his generous soul was adored by those closest to him. He was loved and he will be missed.
There is currently not a service planned, but there will be later in the summer. Please check back for more information.
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