John Wolfe
This is not an obituary, but a tribute to attorney, philanthropist and enthusiast of politics, John McConnell Wolfe, Jr., who died on Monday, September 4, 2023. He was born April 21, 1954. To those who knew him, we all wondered how he was able to eat Captain D’s and Papa John’s pizza regularly and seemingly have no chronic health problems until his early 60s.
John was notorious for representing those with cases no one else wanted to take. He did his best to give a voice and justice to those who otherwise would not have access to it, focusing his practice on civil rights and many pro bono cases in his later practice years. Many of his clients later found him to be a friend even after their case was concluded. That was just John. He could find a friend or a potential new client while he fueled up his car at the gas station.
John would often declare to me that he should have been a writer because he so enjoyed story telling. We would often argue about his garish wording in some brief or pleading, and he would tell me, “Don’t edit out my style! I don’t want to be boring.” John, “boring” is something that no one could accurately use to describe you. Additionally, if you wanted stock market advice, John was the man for the job. He never did school me where I could retain all of the ins and outs of the different markets, but he knew it well and checked the markets daily.
Of course, no tribute to John Wolfe would be complete without mentioning his campaign for presidency in 2008. Ever the idealist, he enjoyed the challenge and the stage to voice his ideas for the United States of America, a country whose potential he believed in. He joined the Army as a young man, but was medically discharged during boot camp because of his knees.
Although he never married or had children, he had many close relationships throughout his life. He was a brother, a son, a godparent, an uncle, an adopted uncle to his staff’s children, and a friend. He would often give coins to children or friends to start their collections as that was done for him as a child, too. John took the time to walk his staff’s kids to the courthouse, read to them, take them for snacks, throw them birthday lunches, remember them at Christmas, and support the various women who worked for him on staff by encouraging them and allowing them to bring their children with them.
John would walk with protesters, give money to the homeless, donate to charities, churches, Legal Aid of Tennessee, among others, and in general advocated for change and reforms he believed in such as equal rights for all, equal pay for all, better support in the workplace for families, more funding for the homeless, a demilitarized police force, recycling, and the like. Whether you agreed with him or not, he lived what he believed and used his resources to support those he believed were either making the changes he believed in or needed support they otherwise could not get.
I could write pages about John, both the good and the bad, but the things I will choose to remember the most are his generosity towards those in need, his patience, his unfailing kindness towards my children, his never-ending fight to hold those accountable who would abuse their power, his singing and sending a variety of music, his corny jokes, khaki pants and polo shirts over long-sleeved shirts, and his undeniably quick wit and talent with the spoken word. The love he had for his late brother, Dan Wolfe, his nephews and nieces, and particularly his niece, Candace, and for his sisters will always be remembered and will live on through each of them.
If you remember John Wolfe today, remember him by giving to a charity, by providing pro bono work to someone in need, by volunteering at the food bank or homeless shelter, by patiently and quietly giving of yourself to others. You can push a deadline to the very last moment, too. It’s okay to laugh or roll your eyes; he knew it was true. He was just gathering his thoughts before he could put them on paper.
John, I feel certain you are telling God all of your thoughts about the way the world should operate, and there are no more deadlines for you to stress over.
Lydia Boydston