William Wohlfeld's Obituary
William Wohlfeld, 92, passed away on December 12, 2017. Bill was born on February 23, 1925, in New York City, the ninth child of Samuel and Jenny Wohlfeld. He proudly served in the Army-Air Corps and then returned to New York, where he met his wife, the former Eleanor Lowy, at Hunter College. Their adventures together began when they married on November 24, 1948 and moved to California the following year, where Bill obtained Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the University of Southern California. Their two daughters, Andrea and Valerie, were born in Sacramento, where Bill began his public service career with the State of California. Wanderlust took hold, however, and the family moved briefly to Dayton, Ohio for one year, and then to the Washington, D.C. area, where Bill started his federal career at the Bureau of the Budget (now OMB). His desire to see other countries and work with people of all nationalities led him to his next career move, with the U.S. Department of State. He was a Foreign Service Officer at the Embassy in Quito, Ecuador. His sense of humor and ability to relate easily to others and put them at ease made him an ambassador of goodwill. His desire to reach out to others led him to the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of the Territories, where he traveled to remote islands in the South Pacific, and ultimately was appointed Special Assistant to the Governor of American Samoa. The whole family, including the pet dog, lived in American Samoa from 1969-1970. Bill was adept as a liaison with locals and Washington decision-makers. His primary goal was to serve the people of American Samoa—to further their efforts toward self-government, and help them obtain a voice in Washington, D.C. After leaving American Samoa, Bill and Eleanor lived in Reston, Virginia for 30 years, where he continued to work for the federal government, teach graduate level courses in Public Administration, and then take a position with the Organization of American States, where he ably served as a Program Evaluation Officer.
In retirement he took on a new interest by developing his own newspaper column entitled “Senior Focus” for the Reston Observer and similar columns for the Bay Weekly and Harbour Lights after moving to Annapolis in 2003. As a resident of Heritage Harbour, he became involved in the local community and was elected At-Large Representative of the Heritage Harbour Homeowners Association, and served on the Waterfront Committee and Boating Club and condo board. His goal was to provide needed information and resources to enrich the lives of seniors, and his columns contained wit and wisdom.
He is survived by his loving wife Eleanor, daughters Andrea (Kurt), and Valerie, step-granddaughter Karina, nephew Bob (Leydi) and numerous other relatives.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Bill’s name to Hospice of the Chesapeake. Interment will be private.
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