Dr. John William Woll Jr.

Dr. John W. Woll, Jr. passed away peacefully on February 23, 2022, at home in Bellingham, Washington. He was born near Philadelphia in 1931 to John W. and Ruth C. Woll. Raised with his brothers Peter and Bob on Oak Dale Farm, a dairy farm near Newtown, PA, he enjoyed a rich farm life. The family vacationed on Lake Wallenpaupack, where John learned to love sailing and water-skiing. John Sr. and Ruth were amateur musicians and influenced John’s interest in the violin, piano, and singing. John Sr. and Ruth met at Germantown Friends School and joined the Religious Society of Friends afterwards. They raised their children in the Newtown Friends Meeting, a Quaker meeting under the auspices of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Inspired by their own experiences, they sent John and his brothers to George School in Newtown (a Friends boarding school) as day students where they received a great education. In 1948 John graduated from George School and started his undergraduate career at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. He excelled at mathematics and graduated in 1952 with Highest Honors. In 1952 John married Patricia Lewis and moved to Philadelphia to attend Penn Medicine. He enjoyed his year in medical school, but found that mathematics was his first love academically. He was awarded a National Science Foundation scholarship for graduate study in mathematics and put it to use in the program at Princeton University. He wrote his PhD thesis in the field of stochastic processes. After receiving his PhD in mathematics from Princeton in 1956, he moved north where he taught mathematics at Lehigh University. During his time at Lehigh, John attended a mathematical conference in Boulder, CO. There he participated in a climbing outing which he loved. He determined that he would move west and have more such experiences. John took a position in the mathematics department at the University of California, Berkeley in 1958. During this time, his family grew to include two daughters Holly and Heather. Encouraged by a former professor, John moved his family to Seattle in 1961, joining the math faculty at the University of Washington. In 1966 he published a book, “Functions of Several Variables.” While in Seattle, he joined a climbing group and enjoyed mountaineering with his friends. His mountaineering friends introduced him to kayaking and skiing and those became new favorite activities as well. John took a position in the mathematics department at Western Washington State College (now Western Washington University) in Bellingham, WA in 1968. John loved mathematics: exploring the interconnectedness of various areas of mathematics, working on mathematical problems, discussing mathematical points with students and colleagues, and learning new and interesting approaches in mathematics. With Bellingham as his home base, John started going on longer kayaking trips, involving many days of boating. These trips expanded to include rafts and inflatable kayaks, allowing John to plan endless boating trips for his family, friends, and even new acquaintances. This suited John perfectly because he was a very friendly and generous man who loved to include the important people in his life. John and Pat joined a group of madrigal singers organized by David Clarke early in their years in Bellingham, later joining the Whatcom Chorale. Following the ending of his partnership with Pat in 1982, John married Lois Allen Lindquist in 1984. They enjoyed life together, participating in many outdoor adventures, singing in the Whatcom Chorale, travelling internationally, and hosting many dinner parties. Lois passed away in 2000. John married Margaret Cochrane in 2004. They enjoyed many adventures together, rafting and kayaking rivers such as the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, the Green River in Washington, and the Rogue River in Oregon. John’s favorite was the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. Following his retirement in 2008, John was active with the Western Washington University Retirement Association. He is survived by his wife, Margaret Woll; his daughters Holly Woll-Salkeld (Doug Salkeld) and Heather Woll (Mike Saks); stepdaughter Dana Lindquist (Chris Peterson), and stepdaughter Cristina Heffernan (Neil); stepson Richard Cochrane (Janice), and stepson Mike Cochrane; and his grandchildren Tyson Salkeld (Brandi), Trevor Salkeld, Ella Salkeld, Kashmir Salkeld, Luis Dean (Matt), Emily Saks, Julia Saks, Zoe Peterson, Cora Peterson, Tom Heffernan, Charlie Heffernan, and his great grandchild Devlin Salkeld. He is also survived by the mother of his children, his former wife Pat Woll. A memorial service was held on February 26, 2022. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: Whatcom Chorale, PO Box 2074, Bellingham, WA, 98227; Whatcom Land Trust, 301 West Holly St, Bellingham, WA 98225; Whatcom Hospice Foundation, 800 Chestnut St, Suite C, Bellingham, WA 98225; or your favorite charity.

Dr. John William Woll Jr.

May 19, 1931 - February 23, 2022