Wolfe was born in Chicago, Illinois and received three degrees from the University of Michigan, including a BA in anthropology, a BSD in art and an MFA with concentration in ceramics. From 1971 to 2011, she was a professor of ceramics at the University of Hawaii. Since she retired as Professor Emeritus, she has been able to devote most of her efforts to creative endeavors. Her work has been collected in many museums in the United States and abroad, such as the Honolulu Academy of Art in the United States, the American Museum of Ceramics in Shaanxi, the Ink Ceramics Museum in Taipei, and Anadolu University Art Museum in Turkey.