While attending UC Berkeley in 1976, Josh traveled to Petersburg, Alaska for the summer with Dan Lucas & Mark Skinner. Mark had fished there the year before and Josh and Dan went to share the adventure. Josh was thrilled to land a job with the Forest Service, as it reflected his scholastic pursuit. Sent from town to a camp to work, he took a randomly offered ride back to town for the weekend from a helicopter passing through with supplies. July 17, 1976, it crashed near Duncan Canal in Southeast Alaska. Dan ended up settling there for many years, a year later buying the house that they had shared. He was survived by his parents Irving & Elaine and sisters, Sima & Leisha.
I have to say that Josh was, in fact, the first love of my life in 7th grade at Jordan. We were good friends also. I recently came across dozens of photos he had given me, some were baby pictures. Being a parent myself, I realized what I was holding and bundled them up and mailed them to his Dad who responded immediately with incredible gratitude.
After I opened my travel agency in downtown San Francisco I landed a job working closely with Bill Graham. That relationship lasted 15 years until he too was killed in a helicopter crash. From that day forward I made it clear that I would never set foot in a helicopter willingly. If I ever ride in one it will be because it is a Medicav and I am being airlifted from a cruise ship. Of course I will be totally unconscious! My ex was a Viet Nam Vet and he always called them Flying Coffins.
RIP Josh, I will never forget you and think of you on June 14, your birthday, every single year.
Josh arrived at Crescent Park elemtary school when I was in 4th grade from another school (Addison of Lytton that had been closed down) and we soon became friends. He was the first Jewish person that I knew and was friends with, though clearly I didn't really know what that meant because once when he slept over on Saturday night, the next morning I took him to church with me at St. Alberts, and when it came time for Communion I took him up to the altar with me; utterly clueless we both were. Later In the day when my mother asked what we did that morning, I said "We went to church...and Josh took communion...." I remember the look of horror on my mother's face....And she immediately went to the phone to call Josh's parents to explain what had happened; how awkward that must have been! I had no idea then why it was such a big deal, but of course beyond non-kosher, so to speak.
When Josh died in the helicopter crash in 1976, it was the day after my birthday and I was living on my kibbutz in Israel. When I received the news I was shocked and sad; it was the first person our age I knew that had died. And for years afterwards I had dreams about him, as if he was a spirit guide or something. In one dream he even started telling me about quasars (I had no idea there was even such a word and had to look it up)....Flash forward about 36 years, and in May 2012 I finally converted to Judaism and am planning to move to Israel to live on my kibbutz.again.
When a person coverts to Judaism, you take a Jewish name (even if you don't actually go by it), and I decided to take the name Joshua, in remembrance of Josh Wolf, who I think about often and believe that I will one day meet again once I cross over.
Daniel Lucas
While attending UC Berkeley in 1976, Josh traveled to Petersburg, Alaska for the summer with Dan Lucas & Mark Skinner. Mark had fished there the year before and Josh and Dan went to share the adventure. Josh was thrilled to land a job with the Forest Service, as it reflected his scholastic pursuit. Sent from town to a camp to work, he took a randomly offered ride back to town for the weekend from a helicopter passing through with supplies. July 17, 1976, it crashed near Duncan Canal in Southeast Alaska. Dan ended up settling there for many years, a year later buying the house that they had shared. He was survived by his parents Irving & Elaine and sisters, Sima & Leisha.
Amy Fink
I have to say that Josh was, in fact, the first love of my life in 7th grade at Jordan. We were good friends also. I recently came across dozens of photos he had given me, some were baby pictures. Being a parent myself, I realized what I was holding and bundled them up and mailed them to his Dad who responded immediately with incredible gratitude.
After I opened my travel agency in downtown San Francisco I landed a job working closely with Bill Graham. That relationship lasted 15 years until he too was killed in a helicopter crash. From that day forward I made it clear that I would never set foot in a helicopter willingly. If I ever ride in one it will be because it is a Medicav and I am being airlifted from a cruise ship. Of course I will be totally unconscious! My ex was a Viet Nam Vet and he always called them Flying Coffins.
RIP Josh, I will never forget you and think of you on June 14, your birthday, every single year.
Daniel Lucas
Amy, Very sweet.
Monica Masik (Hofstetter)
Amy, reading your comments on Josh and Bill Graham was very touching and also put a smile on my face! Thanks for sharing.
Bill Strubbe
Josh arrived at Crescent Park elemtary school when I was in 4th grade from another school (Addison of Lytton that had been closed down) and we soon became friends. He was the first Jewish person that I knew and was friends with, though clearly I didn't really know what that meant because once when he slept over on Saturday night, the next morning I took him to church with me at St. Alberts, and when it came time for Communion I took him up to the altar with me; utterly clueless we both were. Later In the day when my mother asked what we did that morning, I said "We went to church...and Josh took communion...." I remember the look of horror on my mother's face....And she immediately went to the phone to call Josh's parents to explain what had happened; how awkward that must have been! I had no idea then why it was such a big deal, but of course beyond non-kosher, so to speak.
When Josh died in the helicopter crash in 1976, it was the day after my birthday and I was living on my kibbutz in Israel. When I received the news I was shocked and sad; it was the first person our age I knew that had died. And for years afterwards I had dreams about him, as if he was a spirit guide or something. In one dream he even started telling me about quasars (I had no idea there was even such a word and had to look it up)....Flash forward about 36 years, and in May 2012 I finally converted to Judaism and am planning to move to Israel to live on my kibbutz.again.
When a person coverts to Judaism, you take a Jewish name (even if you don't actually go by it), and I decided to take the name Joshua, in remembrance of Josh Wolf, who I think about often and believe that I will one day meet again once I cross over.
David Jones
Hello Josh,
Odd, I have thought of you many times over the past 38 years.
Although we went to Paly together, we never conversed.
One night after wrestling practice I was walking back up the streets of UC Berkeley.
There you were hanging out on the front stoop of building you lived it. I stopped and introduced my
fellow Paly Viking Self :--------)
Was in 1st quarter of that school year 1976.... We were both attending UC Berkeley.
House you lived in was called the Wolf House a CO-OP they called em, in those days :----)
Located on the path home I took, climbing the UC Berkeley street hills back to my frat evenings...
We started chatting as I passed by almost daily, and although did not know each other at Paly, we
recognized each other at Cal, & had a blast talking about this and about that of ole Paly days....
Just prior to the summer break you told me you were going to Alaska to make "great money", work on someting related to your educational degree.
I was going to stay at Cal, work on campus cutting the football field grass/similar $4.50
per hour LOL, wrestle/practice evenings to try to become varsity hahahahahaha.
Your summer sounded so grown up and thought out compared to mine, which was to stay at
Cal and work in the mines type of idea at minimum wage. LOL...
I remember early first quarter the next school year, I walked INTO the Wolf House Co-op, to say hello,
only to find you were the first person I ever knew, to leave the world of my experience........
Man, was very difficult and burned forever joyous and sad memories of you in my mind.
I still think of all the fun discussions we had about nothing LOL! Who knows, you may
have even watched out for me over all these years from heaven. I know lots of you all must have, cause
something has saved me from myself past 50 years :-----)
I have spoken these thoughts in my mind to you often, but am finally am able to print a salute
for you....
Go Vikings, Roll on you Bears
Respectfully
David Jones 73' Paly and Cal 78'