Whether he was selling power saws or heavy machinery, Delmar DeWolf was a traveling salesman many clients trusted.
“He believed in the products he was selling,” said his son Brian. “His integrity was something that people remembered. He was genuine.”
Mr. DeWolf’s earnestness extended to his storytelling skills. After a sales career in the Midwest that spanned more than 50 years, he devoted his retirement to writing his memoirs and sharing stories about Chicago, his son said.
Mr. DeWolf, 91, died of a heart attack Friday, Oct. 28, at his home in Wheaton.
Born in Wheaton, Mr. DeWolf was the youngest of six children. He grew up in Chicago and graduated from Austin High School.
He met his wife, June, at the school. He first saw her waiting for her brother outside a high school newspaper class and kept making excuses to talk to her.
The couple celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary Sept. 14, his son said.
June DeWolf was attracted to his kindness and optimism, along with his freckles, she said.
“He was so polite,” Mr. DeWolf’s wife said. “He used to carry my books and walk me to my street car.”
After high school, Mr. DeWolf entered the work force. After World War II, he and his family moved to Wheaton.
In the 1940s, he found a job as an advertising manufacturer for Skilsaw Inc., a company that made handheld power saws, his son said. From there, he became a freelance salesman in the 1950s, starting his own manufacturer’s representative business.
When that business failed, he worked for several companies, his son said.
In the mid-1960s, he was named district sales manager for Wen Products Inc., another hand power tools manufacturer, the Tribune reported at the time. In 1972, he decided to give his own business, called DeWolf Inc., another shot, running it until 1998, his son said.
He traveled throughout the Midwest, from Illinois to Michigan to Wisconsin, until 1992, family members said.
Writing was always his passion, his son said. Mr. DeWolf prepared a neighborhood newsletter called Campfires Still Burn, which he distributed to his Wheaton neighbors.
He considered himself a local historian because he and his wife were the last original home owners in their neighborhood, his son said.
“He loved to talk and tell people about what he knew,” his son said.
In his retirement, Mr. DeWolf wrote stories about people he encountered during his sales career.
Mr. DeWolf was the last of his siblings, and most of his friends are long gone. His longevity perhaps can be credited to his positive view of life, his son said.
“He could always look forward to the future,” his wife said. “He was always interested in everybody, in everything. His interest was probably what made life so wonderful for him.”
Other survivors include another son, Delmar Jr.; and four grandchildren. A memorial service will be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday, in Gary Memorial United Methodist Church, 224 N. Main St., Wheaton.
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jfrancisco@tribune.com
