THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF BOBBIE LEE WOLFE
Bobbie Lee Wolfe wanted to be a rancher – but fortunately for his many clients and friends – the Lord had other plans.
A native of Beeville, TX, who graduated from Pawney High School in 1954 and married his high-school sweetheart a year later, Bobbie said that growing up on a ranch, he “tried to be a rancher.”
“That didn’t work out,” he said with a laugh.
DISCOVERING A GIFT FOR ACCOUNTING
Instead, Bobbie worked for a man who recognized his penchant for numbers and suggested he should be a CPA.
“I didn’t know what a CPA was,” Bobbie said, adding that his interest was nevertheless piqued, because he “always loved numbers and math was (no surprise) my favorite subject.”
Meanwhile, Bobbie and his new bride, Bernice, were busy juggling married life, school and parenthood.
“I started at what was then Abilene Christian College in 1956, and we had our first child in ’57,” he said, adding that while Bernice, with whom he recently celebrated 70 years of marriage, did not pursue a degree, she was a “heck of a good homemaker.”
After graduating with honors from then ACC in 1959, Bobbie went to work at Western Marketing, Inc. in Abilene and in 1960, passed the CPA exam and became a licensed Certified Public Accountant. He worked at a local accounting firm before leaving to “try business,” landing a job as VP of Finance for Gooch Packing Company, where he worked for five years.
Bobbie’s time in finance was invaluable and provided an added background that would allow him to understand both the rigorous demands of accounting standards and the practical realities faced by businesses.
However, he realized that he really missed accounting, and with the blessing of his employers, whom he describes as a very supportive family, Bobbie blazed his own trail in the Abilene business community.
In 1973, he – together with the late Neil Roberson – established the firm Wolfe & Company, P.C.
Their original firm began modestly, with just three staff members and over the decades since its founding, the firm grew steadily. According to their own description, today it employs about fifteen people, including roughly ten CPAs, including his son Richard, who along with Mark Hudson, is a partner in the firm.
LEADERSHIP BEYOND THE LEDGER
As business grew and more associates and clients were added, Bobbie’s values remained steadfast. He doesn’t just practice accounting; he engages with his peers and his community.
At various times during his career, he served as president of the Abilene chapter of Texas Society of CPAs, spent four years on the state board of the Society, led the local estate planning council, was on the boards of the Better Business Bureau and United Way, as well as serving as the President of the Community Foundation of Abilene.
His many leadership roles show that Bobbie isn’t interested merely in numbers; he was and still is invested in shaping local professional standards and supporting community-minded accounting – a commitment to service that runs deeper than ledgers or tax forms.
The firm offers what many clients find invaluable – continuity and the fostering of long-term relationships. For small businesses, family owned enterprises or individuals with complex tax situations, or those planning for retirement, estates or business succession, having a CPA firm that knows your history, understands local context and offers reliable service can be a major advantage.
Bobbie describes a career as a certified public accountant as one with “all kinds of possibilities,” he said he chose to “zero in” on estate planning, family financial planning and business organization.
Of his specialties, Bobbie says, “I really like helping small businesses get started. I’m good at it and I do a lot of it,” he said, adding that “it’s very rewarding to see a plan you’ve got time in being adopted by a person, family or business.”
“I love my job and I genuinely enjoy people,” he said, describing his clients as “good, moral people.”
“I love working with them and even though I’m semi-retired now, I work every day,” Bobbie said, “My clients are close friends, which makes working not a ‘job,’ – it’s an adventure.”
“As long as the Lord keeps me in good health, I plan to keep working,” he said.
Outside of the office, Bobbie is active in his church, something he has enjoyed since his college days.
“I’ve always enjoyed being involved in church,” said Bobbie, who over the years has served in teaching and leadership roles, including acting as an elder and a deacon.
He has also been involved in the Texas Trails Council, Boy Scouts of America, where he served for a time as treasurer.
“I got involved with the Texas Trails Council in1966 when my oldest son was a Boy Scout and really enjoyed it,” said Bobbie, who worked in various leadership and fundraising capacities, retiring from his role as vice president of endowment at the end of last year.
ADVENTURES NEAR AND FAR
Bobbie has described his career as an “adventure,” but he and Bernice have also had their share of adventures.
In addition to enjoying their 12 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren, the couple have traveled everywhere from the plains of Africa, the wilds of Alaska and been surrounded by the expansive sky above Big Bend National Park.
Their adventures began a bit more modestly in the ‘70’s when they would take family vacations in motor homes. Bobbie and Bernice, looking for an economical way to take their five children on trips, loved the freedom and opportunity this mode of travel allowed.
“When the kids were in middle school, this was a great way to travel and not spend as much money as we would flying places,” said Bobbie, who added that since then, they have traveled to every state including Alaska via motor home.
“This is our favorite way to travel,” he said.
Among the national parks they have visited, Bobbie said they have seen Redwood National Park, Yosemite and Big Bend. The couple also spent a week driving to Alaska one July, where with “only two or three hours of dark, I could read pretty much anytime I wanted.”
Through a tour company that caters to motor home enthusiasts, Bobbie and Bernice have been able to take their preferred mode of travel international, with stops in South Africa, New Zealand and Ireland, with South Africa being by far his favorite.
Bobbie said that trip was particularly memorable because they were treated to a rare display by nature, one that their tour guide informed them was not common for groups to witness.
“We saw two giraffes fighting,” he said. “For about ten minutes the young one fought with the old one, and finally the old giraffe won and took over the herd.”
Bobbie said he recalls the tenacity of that young giraffe and believes that same spirit can be applied to business, especially when it comes to young people trying to forge a path of their own.
“I tell young kids that they need to decide what they want to do and work hard and put their heart into it,” he said, acknowledging that he has had “bumps here and there” and they will too, but that “there are opportunities in all kinds of fields and they can always succeed if they want to.”
By Molly Hill
Photos By Shayli Ann Photography and Courtesy or Bobbie Wolf
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