As a longtime English professor at Loyola University, Joseph J. Wolff encouraged a love of literature and poetry in his students, introducing them to authors Henry James and T.S. Eliot. He employed the Socratic method and asked his students probing questions to help them shape their opinions about the works they read. “He was influential in people’s lives. His example encouraged people to become teachers,” said Barbara Steinbeigle, a former student who followed in Wolff’s footsteps. Mr. Wolff, 83, died of pneumonia Friday, Feb. 18, at Glenbrook Hospital in Glenview. Born in Cleveland, Mr. Wolff received his B.A. in English at John Carroll University in Ohio . After graduation, he served as a Navy lieutenant in World War II. After the war ended, he married his wife of 57 years, Mary Ellen. The couple moved to Chicago, where Mr. Wolff earned a master’s and doctorate in English from the University of Chicago. He taught at Loyola for 39 years. While there, Mr. Wolff helped establish the graduate honors program in the English department. Mr. Wolff enjoyed tennis, photography and traveling to Ireland and the British Isles. A quiet and private man with a strong Catholic faith, Mr. Wolff always emphasized helping others, said his son, Rev. Alec J. Wolff. Mr. Wolff always said, “Whatever you do, you’re not in life just to do your own thing,” his son said. “Whatever you do, make sure you are of service and use to people.” Other survivors include his wife and a brother, Msgr. Robert C. Wolff . Visitation is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, followed by mass at 11 a.m., at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 1775 Grove St., Glenview.
