THE WOLFF HISTORY Herman Wolff married Frieda Steigler. They had four children—Harold, Wilmah, Lauretta, and Norman. Working on the farm as a team, they were able to get through the Great Depression. Herman died at the age of 60 in August of 1943 from a blood clot. This left the two boys to take care of the family and the farm in 1944. By the year 1945, the United States was heavily involved in World War II. Norman, a high school senior due to graduate in June, enlisted in the Navy February 1, 1945 and shipped out in March 1945. A year later, because of an emergency at home, Norman was sent back home in May of 1946. Harold was in the hospital with appendicitis, and the crops had to be put in or the farm would be in peril. Norman was honorably discharged in June 1946. An excerpt from Harold Wolff… Here in Liverpool Township, Medina County, many people from Germany settled, and our grandparents were among those who took advantage of this opportunity. Granddad Wolff came over from Germany at the age of nineteen with a trade as a tanner. He then married Mary Fahrion and became a farmer. In his later years he purchased and operated the farm on Wolff Road just one mile east of Route 252 in York Township, where Wolff Bros. Supply is located. Of Adolph and Mary Wolff’s family of seven, Herman, who was the youngest, then purchased the farm from his father. Brothers Harold and Norman Wolff bought the family farm from their mother, Frieda, a few years after World War II. With both brothers working the farm while raising families, a decision had to be made whether to go into debt and enlarge the dairy farm operation to support two families or to go into another occupation. In the 1950s, Harold and Norman decided to go into the mechanical trades—electrical, plumbing, and heating contracting. Wolff Bros. General Contractors—the name of their new company—operated out of the back of an old truck. They built houses and took on other jobs in the Medina area. Later, expanding into retail sales, they started using the dairy barn and chicken coop for storing parts and supplies. The main floor of the barn housed the offices while the hay loft was filled with tubs and toilets. The old chicken coop was becoming a warehouse for pipe and other plumbing and electrical supplies. In March of 1965, the growing business was incorporated as Wolff Bros., Inc. In 1972, when the second generation began graduating from college, Wolff Bros. Supply, Inc. entered into the wholesale business, working to supply local building contractors’ needs. After years of hard work, the dream of the old hay loft being converted into even more offices became a reality. Today, Wolff Bros. Supply is now one of the largest independent plumbing, electrical, and HVAC distributors in Ohio. The old farmstead is still here, but it’s lost in the huge complex of warehouse, showroom, and offices of the sprawling Wolff Bros. Supply campus. The corporate headquarters and the Medina branch are at the 6078 Wolff Road farm location. The corporate headquarters now occupies all three floors of the old barn from the first floor additions to the second floor offices and third floor “hay mow” conference room. Wolff Bros. Supply boasts 13 warehouse and counter sales locations, as well as four Design Center locations for extraordinary convenience and outstanding service. Our company will continue to grow and invest in assets to promote the ultimate success of our valued customer base.
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