A preeminent real estate lawyer and dedicated community leader, Fred Wolf III passed away Monday, Dec. 23, at his home in Dedham, Massachusetts, from complications of Parkinson’s disease.
The Baltimore Hebrew Congregation member was 78.
Wolf was a longtime Baltimore resident and leader in the Jewish, business and philanthropic communities before moving to the Boston area a few years ago to be closer to family.
He was born to Fred Wolf Jr. and Margery Stern Wolf in Philadelphia, where his father was a partner at the Wolf Block Schorr law firm and his mother was a community leader.
After earning degrees at Dartmouth College and George Washington University Law School, Fred Wolf III clerked for Judge Francis Lund Van Dusen of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia before relocating to Baltimore, the hometown of his wife, Peggy Kaufman Wolf.
Before joining the law firm of Ballard Spahr’s local office in 1992 as a founding partner, Wolf practiced at Frank, Bernstein, Conaway & Goldman in Baltimore and served as assistant attorney general and counsel to the Maryland Department of Economic and Community Development.
Wolf, who retired in 2019, was regarded as a national authority on complex real estate financing transactions and handled some of the largest and most complex deals in Ballard Spahr’s history. He also served as a mentor to a generation of lawyers.
“Fred was a gentleman’s lawyer, very disciplined but an ardent advocate for his clients’ interests,” said Thomas A. Hauser, managing partner of Ballard Spahr’s Baltimore office. “He had a unique ability to understand and dissect the most complex matters. He could debate the most contested issues while at the same time advance his clients’ positions.
“He was more than just a lawyer, he was a trusted adviser to those who crossed his path,” said Hauser. “Fred was not only a longtime partner, but a true mentor and trusted friend. I learned so much from him and am forever grateful.”
In his civic life, Wolf served three terms as the board chair of the Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital (1980-1983, 2017-2018, and 2020-2022) and as chair of the hospital foundation’s board from 2011 to 2014.
He also served as chair of the board of Jewish Family Services and the University of Maryland Hillel, as well as on the board of The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore.
Wolf is survived by his wife of 56 years; their children, Matthew Wolf (Emily) and Rachel Preti (Brian); grandchildren Winifred and Gabriel Wolf and Thomas and Matthew Preti; and his brother, John Wolf (Mahela).
The family will receive guests at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, 7401 Park Heights Avenue, at noon on Friday, December 27, followed by a service at 12:45 p.m.
Immediately following the service, the family will observe shiva at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation until 4 p.m. Interment will be private.
Contributions in Wolf’s memory may be made to Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital, P.O. Box 412035, Boston, Massachusetts 02241-2035, or NewBridge on the Charles Scholarship Fund, 23 Gray Stone Path, Dedham, Massachusetts 02026.
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