Stevie Wolf, A Treasured Friend – Sandy Mackenzie Lloyd

Figure 1. Stevie Wolf’s book Urban Village was published in 1977. Princeton University Press.

As my second year of graduate school opened in the Winterthur Program for Early American Culture, we welcomed our new director – Dr. Stephanie G. Wolf, a graduate of Wellesley with a Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr College. She greeted us in a seminar room and our journey together began as she masterfully guided us through our studies of early American history. As luck would have it, I was writing my thesis on Reuben Haines who owned Wyck in Germantown, and Stevie had just published her book, Urban Village: Population, Community, and Family Structure in Germantown, Pennsylvania, 1688-1800. Her book – and Stevie – became my guideposts as I toiled away. And, over time, this academic connection blossomed into a lifelong and treasured friendship.

Figure 2. Wyck House is one of Philadelphia’s oldest houses, built in 1690. Wyck Historic House.

Our journey together grew as I began my professional career at Wyck as its first curator. Stevie offered guidance as I tackled cataloging what proved to be an enormous collection of Haines family manuscripts, now one of the most significant collections at the American Philosophical Society. When Stevie didn’t have a ready answer, she suggested someone who might, leading to a solution which invariably untangled the problem. As the years ticked by, Stevie stayed connected to Wyck, first as a board member, then as its board chair, and through the last years of her life, as an active member of the collections committee.

Knitted within those years of our shared love for Wyck, were visits to the beautiful house where Stevie lived with her husband, her beloved Ted, or Teddy as she always called him. It was during those visits that I learned much, much more from Stevie than was possible in an academic environment. It was in her home that I saw her beautiful art, her stunning collections of glass, and her exquisite needlepoint, including the chair seats she had stitched of various famous houses in Germantown. It was there, too, that she offered a life lesson I will never forget. Leading by example Stevie advised how important it is to give of yourself to a place or a cause where you can make a difference. As the years passed by, she also opened her heart. Over tea and cookies, she shared stories about her kids and grandkids and loved hearing stories about mine. We also texted, intermittently, but regularly, most recently two weeks before Christmas 2024. I sent her a note saying I looked forward to visiting her in the new year. She replied, please do!

Right before Christmas I heard Stevie was not doing well. I raced over to her house with flowers, but I was too late. She had died that morning. Peacefully, thank goodness.

The loss of Stevie, who I always called my “second mom,” leaves a hole in my heart, but also in the hearts of the many people for whom she served as a friend, a mentor, a colleague, and as a vibrant example of how to live a life to its fullest. Thank you, dear Stevie.

Sandy Mackenzie Lloyd

Sandy Mackenzie Lloyd launched her career in public history at Wyck Historic House more than four decades ago. More recently, she served as the historian and primary writer for Historic Philadelphia, Inc. and its innovative Once Upon A Nation storytelling program which shares site-specific, historically accurate, and interactive stories with visitors to Philadelphia’s Historic District and Valley Forge National Historical Park.