Aldo Jiggs Wolff, 67, of Circle died Dec. 1, 2022, in Billings.
He was born to Aldo Wolff and Marian Lingle on May 10, 1955, in Wolf Point. He was greeted by a sister, but five more siblings were to follow.
In 1972, he met Debra Schillinger, who he would marry in 1974. They would spend the next 48 years building their dreams together. In the fall of 1974, they would have a daughter, Teresa, followed by a son, Wilton, in 1976.
As a youngster, he excelled in many sports throughout the years, which he would later enjoy many years of softball on the Rolandson team. He stayed active playing team basketball into his 40s and shop ball with his children.
At an early age, he found a calling to farm life. After graduating from Circle High School in 1973, he continued to work for his father. Through custom cutting and trucking, he would continue to build his acres. In the late ‘70s, he went off on his own, buying a farm in 1979 to build his legacy. He would dedicate his life to the next big crop, doing his best to be a steward of his land. He would later help to break the mold for introducing new specialty crops to the area.
In 2002, the family would grow again. Pete Marlenee married his daughter bringing along a granddaughter. His unmeasurable love kept him busy following his daughter’s rodeo, his son’s passion for pool and golf or joining in on Pete’s love to travel or slingshot across the black hills of South Dakota.
He was proud of his family, who worked tirelessly to get the crops seeded, sprayed, harvested and to market. He had truly built his family farm, in which he took great pride. The hours were long, but he always found the time to jump on the mower, till, pull weeds and maintain things to keep his place and equipment looking good.
He had a soft spot for his wife’s and daughter’s love of horses — often claiming he had a horse for every cow plus extras. While he was a big man, he had a soft heart for his dogs, who were always along for the ride to work or travel.
Growing up on a motorcycle was a passion that lived on until the end. With Debbie on the back, later friends like Gary, Dennis and Jon, would join in on the Harley trips. He was a pitmaster at heart, but could always cook and cater to a crowd. A social butterfly, as his family called him, he was always up for a game of cards with his friends. He loved visiting and entertaining, always saying people should take the time to visit with friends. He also had a sense of humor.
He loved to travel. There was rarely a trip without his wife at his side. In 2020, he bought his new motorhome to keep living their dreams of seeing new places.
He is survived by his wife, Debra Wolff; daughter, Teresa Marlenee; son, Wilton Wolff; sisters, Vickie Bogar, Kim Nefzger, Patti Cebulski and Toni Bishop; and brothers, Todd and Eddy Sanders.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 11, at the Circle High School gymnasium.
