Gregory Thomas Wolf

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Gregory Thomas Wolf, age 80, died peacefully on March 2, 2025, only weeks after his wife of 56 years, Susanne Wolf, passed away.

He was born on March 7, 1944, to the late Leonard and Anne Wolf.

A proud native of Scranton, Pa., who was fond of saying “There’s always a connection to Scranton,” Greg graduated from the University of Scranton in 1965 with a B.A. in History.

From 1965-1967, he served in the Peace Corps in Thailand and taught English. He returned to New York City for graduate school at Columbia University. In New York, he crossed paths with Susanne Heil, who was from the Scranton area and a newly certified nurse working in the city. They fell in love during an all-night conversation and were married in 1968.

Soon after, Greg and Sue headed south to Chapel Hill for graduate studies at the University of North Carolina. They lived in the married student housing known as "Victory Village" with their newborn daughter, Sara.

"The Southern Part of Heaven" suited him well and Greg befriended many of Chapel Hill’s colorful business community working at the former University Motel on N.C. Highway 54. In 1980, he opened his own business, the restaurant and bar Molly Maguire’s on East Rosemary Street, a golden door of sorts for conversation and connection, merriment and mischief, hard work and late nights.

Greg was also a successful albeit maverick real estate investor. He owned and managed numerous properties in Orange and Chatham Counties. He and Sue lived in Bynum – the old mill community on the Haw River outside of Chapel Hill – for nearly 20 years.

Curiosity was contagious in Greg’s presence. A student of history and lover of books, his interests had no bounds. He relished a good story and lived to tell them, always with such irresistible enthusiasm that you couldn’t help but smile. Knowing Greg was knowing about people, places, and possibility.

Greg’s life is marked most indelibly by his deep, lasting, and laugh-filled friendships – many of which were from his days growing up in the Green Ridge neighborhood of Scranton. In his later years, he was a daily swimmer at the UNC Wellness Center at Meadowmont with a crowd of 5 a.m. regulars whom he cherished.

He and Sue were faithful members of the St. Thomas More parish community throughout their days in Chapel Hill.

Greg is preceded in death by his wife and his sister Andrea Wolf.

He is survived by children Sara Mizelle and Gregory Wolf; grandchildren Cecelia Mizelle, Madeleine Mizelle, Crispin Wolf, and Mary Blaise Wolf; siblings Leonarda Wolf, Lisa Connolly (John Connolly), Maria Hennequin (Pierre Hennequin), John Wolf, and Anitra Wolf; as well as many beloved in-laws, cousins, nieces, and nephews.

A funeral mass will be held at St. Thomas More in Chapel Hill, N.C., on March 10 at 10:30 a.m. It will be livestreamed for those who cannot attend in person.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Friends of Chapel Hill Library in Greg’s honor.