A longtime businessman, with strong ties to Lima and all of northwest Ohio, has died.
Frederic "Fritz" Wolfe spent his childhood in Lima and his early working years in his family business, Lima Lumber Company. But instead of building suburban homes, the company focused on building long-term care facilities for the elderly. Lima Lumber built its first nursing home in 1963. Wolfe turned that endeavor into publicly traded companies that managed and built nursing homes. That company is now known as Welltower, based in Toledo, with a portfolio worth more than 25 billion dollars.
Wolfe and his wife Mary, who died in 2014, donated millions of dollars to the University of Toledo, Bowling Green State University, Toledo Museum of Art, and the Toledo Symphony. The Wolfes were especially proud of their 1.5 million dollar donation to BGSU in 2005 which led to the 41 million dollar Wolfe Center for the Arts. They also donated 1.5 million to the University of Toledo for what became Wolfe Hall.
Wolfe was a Yale University and Harvard Business School graduate and a United States Air Force veteran, serving in the Korean War. Wolfe also penned an autobiography entitled, "It Takes Hard Work And Good Luck ... And The Harder You Work The Luckier You Get".
Wolfe is survived by 3 daughters. Arrangements are being handled by Witzler-Shank Funeral Home in Perrysburg.
Frederic "Fritz" Wolfe was 90 years old when he died on Sunday in Perrysburg.
