The Wolf Family Tree From far and wide we gathered here To share kinship and memories that we hold dear. I will try to show to help you see The origin and destiny of the Wolf Family Tree. In eighteen hundred and ninety-three, Johannes and Katarina planted this tree; In a place in Russia, far across the sea, The seedling took root and became our legacy. In a span of a hundred years, or so, From that seedling a large, large tree did grow. Seven primary branches grew on that tree, Inaugurating its growth and its destiny. First came Margaret, Joseph, Elizabeth, and Dora; They were the first to alight its aura. Then came Jake and John and the last one, Mike, Family portraits depict him as that little tyke. Slowly these seven sturdy branches began to emerge And with mates from other trees they did merge. They started families and branches of their own And from these beginnings, even more branches have grown. We honor and salute those who are now gone, Including its planters, Katarina and Johan. But they are not completely gone; Their relationships to the tree live on. For they are the fibers that hold it high; They are the bark, they protect and beautify. The pleasant memories that survive And our reward for being alive. The poignant memories highlight and underscore The essence and beauty of what they were. We commemorate them as the tree lives on, The family tree, of Katarina and Johan. Two honored guest are with us today As they have been for many a day. Elizabeth, who is the oldest of us all, Lived her childhood when the tree was small. She represents the branch that bears her name, The branch from which I and my siblings came. Katie Wolf is the other one, The mother of the children of the branch named John We thank you, ladies, for letting us know Just how it was, so long ago. To us you are each a dear, dear treasure That we love and cherish beyond all measure. And now, that leaves the rest of us, We are the remainder of four hundred forty, plus. In our role as the family tree’s progeny, We are also the stewards of its destiny. Please journey with me beyond the tree, To the recurring Query; Who are we? I believe we are mystical beings of a greater realm Which is guided by infinite wisdom at its helm. Our essence we can neither explain, nor define But I believe God’s grace renders us all divine. I would surely be, somehow, remiss, If I didn’t also tell you this; In mind, and body, soul, and heart, Each of us, a work of art. In the shadow of this tree, so tall, I stand in awe, I love you all. In loving memory of Johannes and Katarina Wolf, their deceased descendants and their surviving descendants; on the occasion of the 1995 Wolf Family Reunion, June 1995. Leonard P. Streifel, 1995 She represents the branch that bears her name, The branch from which I and my siblings came. Katie Wolf is the other one, The mother of the children of the branch named John And now, that leaves the rest of us, We are the remainder of four hundred forty, plus. In our role as the family tree’s progeny, We are also the stewards of its destiny. In mind, and body, soul, and heart, Each of us, a work of art. In the shadow of this tree, so tall, I stand in awe, I love you all.