Bernard Joseph DeWolfe

Bernard “Bernie” DeWolfe, 99, of Birmingham, Michigan, formerly of Rotterdam Junction, New York, passed away peacefully on September 20, 2026.

He was the beloved husband of the late Elaine (née Cook) DeWolfe; adored father of Darcy (Aaron Rappaport) DeWolfe and Stephanie DeWolfe; cherished grandfather of Asher and Aidan Rappaport; and loved brother of the late Gilbert DeWolfe and Thelma Ruoff. He was also a dear uncle to Karen and the late Tommy DeWolfe; and Luanna, Susan, Rebecca and Dan, and the late Steven Spencer. He is survived as well by his loyal cat of many years, Boris.

Bernie was born on March 11, 1927, in Rotterdam Junction, a tiny rural town in upstate New York, in a big yellow Victorian house that didn't yet have indoor plumbing. It was the kind of childhood that involved gathering apples from the neighbors’ orchards, playing in the local swimming hole, and helping the man who tended lanterns on the Mohawk River locks.

He got his first cat when he was five and still told stories about that cat more than 90 years later. It was the beginning of a lifelong love of animals — and the feeling was mutual. Throughout his life, strangers would marvel when a dog that “never goes to anyone” made a beeline for Bernie.

Bernie loved a good story and a good laugh, and his time in the Army Air Corps supplied plenty of both. On the advice of his high school principal, he enlisted rather than waiting to be drafted after graduating from Woestina High School in 1943, at 17 years old. Too young to report for duty, he attended Rutgers University for one year and reported to Basic Training the following June. Ready for combat just as the war was ending, he never went overseas but came home from Army bases across the American South with stories that kept him — and everyone else — laughing for decades afterward.

After the Air Corps, Bernie headed to Syracuse University on the GI Bill. He studied mechanical engineering and business and became a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity. At the time, so many returning servicemen were arriving that local families opened their homes and rented rooms to young veterans. Bernie landed with the Cook family, who promptly took him in as one of their own. The Cooks happened to have a daughter named Elaine, also a student at Syracuse, who caught Bernie’s eye and his heart.

Bernie and Elaine graduated from Syracuse and married in 1956. He began his career as an industrial draftsman. He had a knack for figuring things out and soon became the person who was handed problems no one else could solve. One of his proudest accomplishments was a six-foot hand-drawn blueprint of an engine, complete with exploded illustrations of its intricate parts — a remarkable piece of his work that his family still treasures all these years later.

The young couple relocated to Detroit, where Bernie moved into sales and spent many years with the Micro Switch Division of Honeywell, working with automotive clients Ford and General Motors. But Bernie didn't stop figuring things out when he came home from work. He could fix almost anything and was happiest when he had something to tinker with.

That talent came in handy in 1968, when Bernie and Elaine bought a beautiful old house in Birmingham, Michigan, and set about renovating it. They painted it yellow, just like the Victorian house where he had grown up.

The house became the backdrop for decades of family life: Christmases around the fireplace, summer parties in the backyard, daughters and their friends coming and going, and a series of much-loved cats — all of whom, naturally, preferred Bernie. His daughters’ friends loved him too; one longtime family friend earned the honorary title of “third daughter.”

Bernie loved music, especially jazz, with Lena Horne, Oscar Peterson and Frank Sinatra among his favorites. If he could have a good Rob Roy as he listened, even better.

Travel was another great pleasure. The family spent many summers on the beaches of Cape Cod and, over the years, traveled together throughout Europe and as far as China, Thailand and Mexico. On a trip to Denmark, Bernie and Elaine each bought themselves distinctive Nordic sweaters and often found themselves wearing them together during the Michigan winters. They became known for those sweaters.

At nearly 100 years old, Bernie never looked or seemed his age. Doctors, staff, and new friends continued to think he was 20 years younger. When asked his secret, he always said, “You have to be able to laugh at the world and laugh at yourself.” Kind, patient and gentle, Bernie had a lightness and way of making others feel at ease. He never lost the mischievous twinkle in his eye that so many will remember. He was deeply loved and will be dearly missed.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 31, 2026, at 11:00 am at Christ Church Cranbrook located at 470 Church Road, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Arrangements are entrusted to Chicagoland Cremation Options in Schiller Park, Illinois.