On Tuesday, Oct. 29, Paula Bellmore Wolpe, of Rockville. Beloved wife of Donald Wolpe; devoted mother of Bruce (Lesley) Wolpe and Beth (Joel) Kimel and the late Jeffrey Wolpe; mother-in-law of Jennifer Pories; grandmother of Joshua and Matthew Wolpe, Erik and Sara Kimel and Courtney and Jordan Pories; sister of Dr. Mandell (Carol) Bellmore.
Wolpe was born on May 3, 1930, at Garfield Hospital in Washington, D.C. She was the first child of Bernard and Dorothy Kraft Bellmore who resided on Walbridge Place, N.W. Paula is the granddaughter of the late Louis and Bayla Kraft and the late Emanuel and Pauline Bellmore — all of Washington.
A graduate of Theodore Roosevelt High School in Washington, Paula married Donald E. Wolpe March 20, 1949, at Adas Israel Congregation. She and her husband have resided in Washington, and for a period of years in Chevy Chase since their marriage.
Wolpe was a life member of the Adas Israel sisterhood, the ladies auxiliary of the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington and Hadassah. Throughout their married life, she and her husband traveled extensively to Israel and to countries of Western Europe — Britain, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium and France — and were particularly fond of weeks spent in the Cote d’Azure (Monaco, Nice and Cannes). They wintered frequently in Acapulco, Mexico, with close friends.
Paula devoted herself extensively to the Montgomery County chapter of the American Cancer Society (ACS), working in its offices where she was known as the “closet queen” where she stored, selected and mailed packets of ACS literature throughout the metropolitan region. On her 50th birthday, she encouraged her friends to forego any personal remembrances and contribute instead to a ACS fund, which purchased a model teaching device that was circulated to high schools in the metropolitan region to educate female students about breast self-examination, to achieve early detection of possible breast cancer.
ACS presented her with the Volunteer of the Year award at a dinner at Indian Spring Country Club. She was subsequently a member of the host committee of the first ACS at the Shoreham Hotel, which was attended by Elizabeth Taylor.
The funeral service was held Nov. 3 at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, with interment at Judean Memorial Gardens. Memorial contributions may be made to Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, Adas Israel Congregation or the Jeffrey A. Wolpe Memorial Fund at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington.
