Michael Patrick Wolan

A man of many words, Michael Patrick Wolan said his last on December 23, 2023, one week before his 87th birthday.

Mike was born in 1936 to Shirley and Michael Wolan in Chicago where he enjoyed a playful childhood with siblings, Phil and Bev.  An ardent learner, he earned 2 master's degrees before trading the icy roads of the Midwest for the lush green golf courses of Florida. He moved to Jacksonville in 1966 where he met and married Mary Dolores. They shared 54 years of marriage and 4 children. In time, grandchildren would join him for hugs, silly jokes, and playing catch. He was a proud father and grandfather, sharing stories with everyone he met.

Mike Wolan once described himself saying, "I like words and numbers and sports, and games, and history, and philosophy, and theology, and people."  He was a rare, gifted man who was exceptional at everything he tried, and he liked both mastering a new language or sport as much as he liked teaching others about it. He was a lifelong, faithful Catholic and a tennis pro, golf coach, ping pong champion, natural athlete, academic, linguaphile, teacher, Jeopardy fan, avid emailer, piano enthusiast, gardener, mulch devotee, curious inquisitor, and a generous man. Words are inadequate to fully capture how much he was loved and will be missed. Ave atque vale.

Funeral Mass to be held Thursday, January 4, at 11am, St. Paul's Catholic Church in Jacksonville Beach. In lieu of flowers, strike up a conversation with a stranger; bonus points if any part of it isn't in English.