Albert A. Wolf

After a long life of service to God, family, friends, clients, country and community, Albert Adam Wolf, 92, passed away peacefully on Monday, July 24, 2023, at the St. Gabriel’s Community in Bismarck, North Dakota

Albert's service livestream can be viewed at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/c/CorpusBismarck 

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, July 29,  at Corpus Christi Catholic Church, 1919 N. 2^nd St. followed by a burial at St. Mary’s Cemetery and a luncheon at the Municipal Country Club, 930 N. Griffin St., Bismarck.  

Visitation will be from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., on Friday, July 28 with a rosary and vigil service beginning at 5:00 p.m. at the St. Mary’s Central High School auditorium, 5802 Ridgeland Drive, Bismarck.

Albert was born on April 27, 1931. He was the youngest of eleven children raised by German-Russian immigrants on a farm outside Strasburg, North Dakota. He attended grade school in a one-room, country schoolhouse and graduated as president of his class from Strasburg High School in 1948. He attended college and law school in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he received an undergraduate degree from the University of St. Thomas in 1952 and a law degree from William Mitchell College of Law in 1956.

After law school, Albert served as First Lieutenant in the Army Judge Advocate General Corps (JAG) at Fort Carson, Colorado, and Fort Knox, Kentucky.  He later returned to North Dakota, where he served as Burleigh County States Attorney and Special Assistant Attorney General. Albert went on to represent many clients in over 50 years of private practice at the Wheeler Wolf Law Firm, including the Bismarck Public School District, the Tribal Council of Standing Rock Sioux Tribe at Fort Yates, and the Benedictine Health Systems, where he ultimately was a community resident for six years. Albert also was a co-founder and board member of Twilight Hills (now Huff Hills), Executive Director, Lobbyist and General Counsel for the Independent Community Banks of North Dakota and co-founder, board member and General Counsel of Bismarck State Bank (now Bravera Bank).

Albert was actively involved in politics and served as a lobbyist in the North Dakota legislature and U.S. Congress. He managed U.S. Senator Quentin Burdick’s successful 1970 reelection campaign and was a co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Kennedy Memorial Foundation, which operates the Kennedy Memorial Center that houses the North Dakota Democratic-NPL party headquarters in Bismarck.

Albert believed strongly in the importance of serving his community, whether that was fundraising for a charity or serving on the board of a local nonprofit. He was a member and supporter of many organizations, including Bismarck Rotary Club, Serra Club, Knights of Columbus, Elks Club, University of Mary, St. Mary’s Central High School, Bismarck State College, Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra, The God’s Child Project and United Way.  Albert was particularly proud of participating in the founding of Shiloh Christian School and the key roles he played in getting the Emmons County portion of U.S. Highway 83 dedicated as “The Lawrence Welk Highway” and having the Lawrence Welk homestead in Strasburg designated as a State Historic Site.

After a long courtship, Albert married the love of his life, Karen Rausch, in 1974.  They raised three daughters, all graduates of St. Mary’s Central High School, and were active parent boosters of the high school sports teams and musical groups.  Albert and Karen had a deep faith and were very involved in parish life, serving for years as lectors and choir members. 

He knew everyone, and everyone knew Albert.  He was usually the first one to church and the last one to leave any party.  He loved music and was known to start a spontaneous singalong.  He always wanted to sing one more song, dance one more dance, visit with one more friend.  He went above and beyond for everyone he met and was fiercely loyal to and always kept in touch with friends and family, often making a vacation or work trip a “visiting tour” to see his people.  He loved to socialize with friends over a round of golf, a card game and a bowl of popcorn at the Elk’s Club or a “barley sandwich” at the Peacock Alley bar.

Albert is survived by his daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren, Gretchen Wolf and Travis Schulz, Eli (11) and Ava (7) of Chicago, Heidi and Mark Mankey, Michael (13) and Charlie (7) of Maple Grove, and Anna and Anthony Lee, Lucy (6) of Urbandale, IA, and his many nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws, friends and his law partner, Jack McDonald, and legal assistant of 50 years, Dianne Taix. 

He was preceded in death by his wife, Karen (Rausch) Wolf; his parents, Adam and Magdalena (Wickenheiser) Wolf and his brothers and sisters and their spouses, Magdalena Burkhardt (Carl), Anton Wolf (Amelia), Ignatius Wolfe (Agnes), John Wolf (Lillian), Phillipine McNeil (Paul), Michael Wolf (Theresa), Christine Wolf, Barbara Bantz (Charles), Peter Wolf (Agatha) and Joseph Wolf (Betty). 

Albert’s family extends a special thanks to the staff of the Benedictine Living Community – St. Gabriel’s Community that provided excellent care to Albert and Karen, the Visiting Angels caregivers who shared their days with Albert over the last year, and the many family and friends who visited and supported Albert.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Albert’s name to one of the many organizations that he supported and loved throughout his life.