County mourns loss of Wolfe and Vannoy
Mark Martin
Earl Wolfe of Ravenswood died Dec. 31.
Russ Vannoy, a long-time Ripley resident, passed away Jan. 3.
Wolfe and Vannoy left legacies in many ways while living in these two Jackson County communities.
And among their contributions was helping to mold future Ravenswood Red Devil and Ripley Viking football players.
Wolfe, who had starred in football at Ravenswood High, where he graduated in 1948, coached the Browns of the old Ravenswood Midget Football League.
Before the days of A, B, and C travel teams, the ground base of Ravenswood High football rested solely on players learning the game through weekly practices and then Saturday evening games. Four teams made up the town’s youth league.