Former Mayor Rick Wolff died unexpectedly Tuesday according to the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Cause of death has yet to be announced but Wolff had recently undergone hip surgery.
Wolff defeated Mayor Pru Lolich in 2002 and was re-elected in a memorable campaign against Jason “The Mechanic” Roebuck in 2006. (Roebuck was the only Iron Range candidate I’ve ever seen rap his opening statement at a public forum). Wolff had been elected president of the Minnesota Small City Mayor’s Association before his relatively surprising loss to current Hibbing Mayor Rick Cannata in 2010 after serving two terms.
Wolff was well known to the people of Hibbing as the director of the town’s Social Security Administration office. He had worked for the Social Security Administration his entire adult life, more than 40 years. He was 61.
I served with Rick in the Hibbing Rotary Club for a time and he was a very community-oriented person. He was mayor when the city council approved the re-naming of a portion of 7th Avenue as Bob Dylan Drive, a major shift in the city’s attitudes about its hometown troubadour. Condolences to his family and friends.
UPDATE: Wolff likely died from complications related to his surgery. He had returned to work Tuesday but went to the ER not feeling well, according to the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Autopsy results are pending. His obituary ran in the paper today.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, at Blessed Sacrament Church in Hibbing. Visitation will be held 4-7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, in the Dougherty Funeral Home and for one hour prior to the service at the church.
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