Priscilla Wolf

On Monday, August 16, 2021, after a long and adventure filled life, Priscilla Wolf passed peacefully from this world at age 94, just two months short of her 95th birthday.  She had been residing at The Meadows (formerly The Baptist Home) at Brookmeade, in Rhinebeck since 2016.  

Prior to moving to The Meadows Priscilla lived in her Manhattan apartment overlooking the East River. 

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Pricilla was the daughter of the late Benjamin Wolf and Lillian Ostrow (Wolf). 

Priscilla received her Bachelor’s Degree from Brooklyn College in 1948 and her Master’s Degree from CUNY in 1951.

Having begun her career in the New York City Police Department as a young woman, Priscilla retired in 1974 at the rank of Sergeant having been Lieutenant eligible at that time.

From 1949 to 1969 Priscilla was a Police Officer in the Youth Division and from 1969-1974 she worked as a Sergeant.  In 1977, she then began working at Barnard College, in Manhattan, as Assistant Director of Security until her second retirement in 1983. 

In New York State Priscilla held a teaching certificate for Secondary School in Social Studies as well as a certified Social Worker license.

Throughout her life, she travelled the world extensively and was a voracious reader, especially of historical biographies. In addition to travel, Priscilla was an excellent tennis player and loved the performing arts.  She frequently attended both, Broadway and off Broadway theatrical productions and began taking acting and voice lessons while in her 80’s.  Both, her example and advice were to “travel as much as possible” and “never stop learning”.  

At The Meadows she enjoyed singing in the choral group.  She had a fine voice and was often complimented on it.   

The staff throughout Brookmeade loved her quick wit, kindness and stories of her many travels all over the world.

Over the years, she was known to her family not only as its matriarch but, as a great “search engine”. If there was a particularly scarce amount of information on a subject, one need only to ask Aunt Pris about it and she would relentlessly research it until she could fill in all the blanks.

Her skills included once reading and editing a 400-page manuscript in one evening.

Priscilla also had a very keen investment sense and had always followed the financial markets closely.  However, she held one interest dearest to her heart and that was her family.  Her many generations of nieces, and nephews and their spouses, gave her the most pleasure and fulfillment.   Her room at The Meadows was filled with pictures of her life with all of them at holidays, birthdays and everything in between.  Aunt Priscilla’s loving spirit will undoubtedly live on in each and every one of our hearts. 

Priscilla is survived by her devoted nieces Gayle Serra, Barbara Kaizer, Iris Hiblum , Laura J. Wolf and Joan Carbonaro.  She is also, survived by her Grand nephews and nieces Ralph and Elaine Giffone, Frank Giffone and Margarita Leahy Giffone, Steven Hiblum and Jennifer Villanueva (fiancée), Debra and Nick Randisi , her loving cousin Zelda Damashek and many Great Grand nieces, nephews.

Priscilla was predeceased by her sister Phoebe Kaiser, her brothers Walter Wolf and Maurice Wolf and her nephew Joel Kaiser.

Memorial plans will be announced at a later date.