Belvidere businessman, philanthropist Jack Wolf dies at age 87

BELVIDERE — Philanthropist, family man and renowned car dealership owner Jack Wolf died Thursday at age 87.

The longtime owner of Jack Wolf GMC Cadillac was part of a car dealership dynasty in Belvidere started by his father, Doc Wolf, a pioneer in the car business in Boone County.

For decades if you bought a car in Belvidere, it was likely from the Wolf brothers: Jack Wolf or his brother Bill Wolf, who had taken over their father's Wolf Chevrolet dealership. Bill Wolf died in 2018 at the age of 87.

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Paul Wallem, longtime owner and operator of the International Harvester Dealership in Belvidere, was friends with Wolf for 53 years.

He said Wolf easily survived the contraction of the auto market during The Great Recession and the subsequent closing of Pontiac dealerships across the nation in 2010.

"He had customer loyalty," Wallem said. "He lost Pontiac, but he kept GMC and Cadillac, and he got through that in good shape. He was an outstanding businessman. His customers meant everything to him. He treated his people well."

Wolf's daughter, Amy Wilcox, sold the dealership to Kunes Auto Group in 2020 following her father's retirement.

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Wolf supported beautification efforts around Belvidere and Boone County, contributing money for several statues.

"He had a big heart for the community," Wallem said. "More than anything else, he did what he promised he would do. I just think he was a guy that had a high level of ethics."

Wolf and his wife, Peggy, were backers of the Poplar Grove Vintage Wings & Wheels Museum ever since its founding in 1997, raising funds and scholarships on behalf of what he considered a key community attraction.

Saying it would make a great front door to the museum, the couple commissioned Denver sculptor George Lundeen to create a bronze sculpture of pioneer aviator Elrey Jeppesen.

They donated the statue to the museum in 2012 and Wolf supervised the installation of a garden and walkway around the sculpture which was later dubbed Jeppesen Park, said Judi Zangs of the Wings & Wheels Museum.

"Jack was very generous and if you saw him on the street you wouldn’t think he was anything but ... a regular guy," Zangs said. "He wasn't pretentious or pompous. He was kind and generous."

Jeff Kolkey: jkolkey@rrstar.com; @jeffkolkey

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Belvidere's Jack Wolf 'had a big heart for the community'