October 11, 2010 Skip's Official Obituary

Skip Wollenberg Obituary

Harold (Skip) Wollenberg died August 11th at Sutter Medical center in Santa Rosa after a month of serious illness. Skip was born in San Francisco on February, 13, 1933 to parents, Harold and Leah Wollenberg. He attended Lowell High School in San Francisco and completed undergraduate work at UC Berkeley, where he majored in geology. In1955 Skip married Jackie Price. Soon after, he served in the U.S. Navy for two years as an executive officer on a military sea transport ship, making multiple trips to the South Pacific.

After retiring from the Navy Skip took his first geology job at the Homestake Gold Mine in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Three years later he and his family returned to Berkeley where he completed graduate work in engineering geology. During graduate school Skip began working at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory where he continued to be employed for thirty-three years. During his time at Lawrence Berkeley he was invited by the Danish government to work for the Danish Atomic Energy Commission. He, Jackie and their three children lived in Denmark for two stimulating years during which Skipdid extensive field work in Greenland. Skip traveled widely as a geologist, including to post-Soviet Russia. Some of his experiences are included in the book, ALONG THE WAY, which he co-authored.

After retiring from Lawrence Berkeley Lab Skip and Jackie moved to Fort Bragg, California in 1992. Skip had an amazing, productive life on the north coast. He acted as a geologic consultant to several environmental groups in Mendocino and Humboldt counties. He also did consulting on slope stability for private groups and individuals. Much of this consulting work he did probono. Most recently he served on the Regional Stake Holders Group advising the Marine Life Protection Act.

Skip loved long walks in the Sierra with family and friends. He enjoyed rowing in the early morning on Echo Lake, kayaking and fly-fishing on coastal rivers. He enthusiastically played boule on Sundays at the harbor, and met with his writer’s group every Thursday. He thoroughly enjoyed travels with friends and family. The love Skip felt for his family and community was fully returned. He was a gracious and generous man with a great sense of humor and a sharp mind. He will be dearly missed by all. Skip is survived by his wife, Jackie, his brother Charles, his three children, Mike, Steve, and Kathy, and their spouses, Jenny, Susan, and Danny. He is also survived by his four adoring grandchildren Leah, Larkin, Elena, and Mira and his dogs Latte and Bobby. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Pacific Textile Arts (for installation of a children’s classroom and library) at: pacifictextilearts.org or to the Skip Wollenberg Scholarship Fund for students at College of the Redwoods in Fort Bragg.

A celebration of Skip’s life will be held for friends and family at his home on Sunday, September 26, 2010.