Elaine Wolf

Elaine Wolf, a charming, gentle, godly woman, mother, grandmother, and wife, passed on to her heavenly home on Friday, January 15, 2016 at the age of 87 years. Born in Holdenville, Oklahoma in 1928, she was the fifth of eight children born to Mae and Eddie Stone, who taught her the value of hard work on the family's dairy farm. Having graduated in 1946 from high school in Holdenville, she moved to Tulsa to attend business college for a short time, and then worked for Gulf Oil Company for one and a half years. In Tulsa, mutual friends of Elaine and her future husband, Eugene "Gene" Silkey, introduced them to one another. After their marriage in 1948, Gene received a job offer from Western Electric in Syracuse, New York, where their first child, Kendra, was born. A series of moves to get better jobs closer to home took them through Dallas, where their second child, Mark, was born in 1952, and to Tulsa, where Terry, their third child, arrived in 1956. In that same year, Gene took a job in Telecommunications at Conoco in Ponca City, where they planted roots. Once they were established here in Ponca, they bought a boat and spent summers and weekends camping and travelling to Great Salt Plains, Tenkiller, and Hot Springs, also co-owning a dock on Lake Ponca.

They became active members in the community, joining a church and making many friends. When the children were all in school, Elaine branched out, taking a job at Williams Shoe Store through 1972, she and Gene also having joined ladies' and men's bowling leagues respectively, where she distinguished herself by going to state and nationals to bowl competitively. In addition, she enjoyed volunteering to help cook meals for the young people who went with the church to Falls Creek and Camp LELA. Her shoe store career ended when a data processing job came open that year at Conoco, so she jumped at the chance to make the change. Around 1985, she and Gene were offered an early retirement option, giving them the opportunity to do a great deal of travelling. They bought a fifth-wheel trailer, and spent many winters camping and fishing in Rockport, Texas, enjoying time with old family friends. Gene and Elaine also went on cruises to Alaska and even travelled to Hawaii.

When they were home, Elaine was thoroughly focused on her grandchildren. She and Gene loved them deeply, and spent many hours sitting on the carpet playing games and laughing with them, taking them to amusement parks, and babysitting or seeing them whenever they could. Tragically, Gene died in 1998 from a sudden illness, so afterwards, Elaine passed the time travelling on bus tours with her dear friend Dorothy. They toured New York City, where, while laughing as they shopped for fake Rolex watches, they noticed that their bus had left them standing on the corner. They have laughed for years about the watch they both ended up buying that ran backwards. Elaine's infectious sense of humor gave her numerous funny moments like these, and she enjoyed her life thoroughly.
Early in 2001, Elaine let us know that she and Calvin Wolf were going to get married. We were delighted for them both, since he and his late wife Betty were old friends Gene and Elaine had formerly played cards with. In addition, Betty and Elaine had worked with one another at Conoco. Calvin and Elaine tied the knot on May 5, 2001, and have been happily married for 14 years, travelling, cruising, and going out to eat weekly in Stillwater. They loved one another deeply, and we, her family, appreciate his kind and gentle care for her, especially in these past few years.

Elaine was preceded in death by her parents, Gene, four brothers, one sister, and two great-grandsons. She is survived by her husband Calvin of the home, daughter Kendra Smith and her husband Gary of Lewisville, Tx.; sons Mark Silkey and his wife Janet, and Terry Silkey and his wife Nancy all of Ponca City; brother Lyndal Stone and his wife Patsy of Sapulpa, and sister Janet Dunlavy and her husband Bill of Mannford; five grandchildren, Carissa, Alison, Kalen, Lauren, and Caleb; three step-grandchildren, Paige, Jeff and Donnie; several nieces and nephews; and seventeen great-grandchildren.

Family Visitation will be from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. on Thursday, January 21 at Grace Memorial Chapel. A memorial service will be at First Baptist Church Chapel at 1:30 on Friday, January 22.

Visitation

Grace Memorial Chapel
2016 N. 14th
Ponca City, OK  74601
Thursday, January 21, 2016
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Service

Memorial Services

First Baptist Church Chapel
218 South 6th Street
Ponca City, OK  74601
Friday, January 22, 2016
1:30 p.m.

Cemetery

Resthaven Memorial Park Cemetery
1901 E. Hubbard Road
Ponca City, OK  74601