A Life Lived: Opal Wolfe was known far and wide for her homemade rolls

Published 1:15 pm Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Virginia “Opal” Wolfe died March 8 at the age of 93. For years she had been known for her homemade rolls, which were often hand-carried and sent by friends to family members in other states, especially at Christmastime.

Her daughter, Sandra Feathers, said her mother stayed busy from Thanksgiving to Christmas making the rolls, which she made in batches of 50.

“They were so good. They would melt in your mouth,” said a daughter-in-law, Patty Wolfe. “I will forever remember her. Cooking was her ministry. She always had something to eat when you visited,” said Patty.

Opal’s funeral was conducted by three minister-grandsons. “When my son Evan at her funeral asked everyone to stand that had eaten her cooking, almost everyone stood, and here was a large crowd at the funeral,” said Patty.

She noted that Opal and her two sisters, Arlene Bullock, and Juanita Carr, who is deceased, would often gather in Opal’s kitchen and cook. “They were all good cooks,” she said.

Opal’s daughter shared that when they were building the present Bunker Hill Christian Church, her mother and Opal’s sisters often would sell hamburgers out her mother’s kitchen window to raise funds for the building. “They called them Bunker Hill burgers,” said Sandy with a laugh. They also had cake walks in the front yard to raise money. “They raised many a dollar for the church.”

In addition to her rolls, Opal was well-known for her cakes and pies. “Everything she made was good. She enjoyed cooking and she loved to share her dishes,” said Sandy.

Opal and her husband, Edward Robert Wolfe, who preceded her in death, were married 71 years and raised four children – three sons and a daughter. They included Vonnie, Wayne, Allen, and Sandy. Additionally, she had 11 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, and six great-great-grandchildren. Her minister grandsons are Evan Wolfe, who ministers at Crossroads Christian Church in Gray; Jonathan Feathers at First Christian Church in Bluff City; and Jordan Wolfe, who ministers in Savannah, Ga.

Sandy described her mother as a very kind, sweet woman, who loved the Lord, her church, and her family. “She seldom missed church, and she read her Bible every day. If we went anywhere on Sunday, we had to wait until after Sunday School and communion,” said Sandy.

Opal also enjoyed quilting. She had made quilts for almost everyone in the family, and her casket was adorned with one of her quilts – a double wedding ring.

She also enjoyed gardening and canning.

Opal had traveled some, mostly with her daughter. “She was my sidekick, and often on Saturday when I was off I took her and daddy somewhere. She had traveled to quite a few places – Amish country in Pennsylvania, to Montana, to a grandson’s graduation in Arizona, and she had attended a grandson’s graduation from basic training in Texas, and I guess the last place she went was Fort Walton Beach, Fla.,” shared Sandy.

“We all loved her. I was an only child and after my mom and dad died, Opal and her family was all that I had. The Lord blessed me by putting me in that family,” said daughter-in-law Patty. “I will forever remember her and her goodness.”

Opal spent the last couple years of her life at Ivy Hall Nursing Home, where she was lovingly cared for by the staff.

But, she will be long remembered for her loving kindness and those mouth-watering rolls she made.