Lorenza Prince Emmanuel Wolford, son of the late Tildon Cephas Wolford and Julia Bertha Wolford, was born on July 2, 1931, in Draper, Virginia. He departed this temporary, earthly life on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, after a brief illness. 

Lorenza lived in Draper with his parents, one brother, and one sister. Together, they ran their very modest family farm in the Draper mountains. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Lorenza had to quit school in the seventh grade to help out on the family farm. He later went on to serve in the United States Army during the time of the Korean War and lived in Germany for a portion of that time. After receiving an honorable discharge from the armed forces, he went on to serve in the Army Reserves for several years. 

Lorenza played for a regional Negro baseball team in Pulaski, Virginia, the Pulaski Braves, in the 1950s until he injured his knee during a game and was no longer able to play the sport, but the love of the game stayed with him throughout his life. He and his family were regulars for many years attending baseball games at Ernie Shore Field. 

Lorenza moved his family to Winston-Salem, NC in 1959. He was employed at the Bahnson Company (name later changed to Bahnson-Flakt Inc.) from 1959 until his retirement in 2005. He worked his way up from the maintenance/custodial department to the second-shift superintendent. Before entering management at the plant, he was the union spokesperson for Bahnson-Flakt for many years. Throughout the years his eight children were in school, Lorenza worked at least two jobs, often three, to support his family. He was also an avid outdoorsman with a love for hunting, fishing, trapping, and gardening. He organized deep-sea fishing trips twice a year and always maintained at least two gardens, frequently three. He would also plant and oversee small gardens for some of the elderly in our Brushy Fork neighborhood. 

Lorenza and his family joined Peoples Choice AME Zion Church (now John Wesley AME Zion Church) in 1960. He had been a faithful, involved member since that day. In the earlier days of the church, Lorenza and the other men of the church were the carpenters, painters, plumbers, furnace repairmen, landscapers, and whatever else was needed to keep the church operational, including getting cans of heating oil on Saturday nights so the church would have heat for Sunday morning service. He was a faithful member of the Men’s Chorus (his signature song was “He Touched Me”), Sunday School, Bible Study, and Christian Education Department. Lorenza was also church custodian, van driver, and class leader. He was chairman of the trustee board for more than fifty years. 

Mr. Wolford had a heart to help where he could and routinely supported and contributed to charitable organizations, which included St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Winston-Salem Rescue Mission, Second Harvest Food Bank, Wounded Warrior Project, Shriners Hospitals for Children, and the Samaritan Soup Kitchen. But Lorenza’s great love was his family. And that love grew with each added generation. His next love was Kermit hot dogs and the bologna sandwich from King’s Hot Dogs. All who knew him knew how he loved sitting on the front porch watching the birds and squirrels. Talking about his history and life growing up in the mountains of Virginia was such a joy for him. The look in his eyes and the expressions on his face as he talked made it seem as though he were transported back to that place and time. He was a great historian and often referred to as a living, breathing history book. 

Lorenza was preceded in death by his wife of forty-one years, Doris Hash Wolford; daughters, Sherry Doris Renee Wolford Pharr and Betty Wolford Cook; his mother and father; brother, Alphonso Wolford; and sister, Regina “Tot” Stiger. 

He leaves to cherish his memory and honor his legacy, daughters, Ava (Benjamin, Sr.) Morrow of Manning SC, Veronica H. Price, Rebecca (Eric) Simon, and Mae (James) Oakes all of Winston-Salem, NC, and April (Nathaniel) Berry of Winnabow, NC; one son, Daniel Lorenza Wolford of Winston-Salem, NC; ten grandchildren, Benjamin Morrow, Jr., Anissa McCullough, Kimberly Morrow, Hope Payne, Farrah Wolford, Calvin Mackey, Tamika Wolford, Stephon Wolford, Sirod Cook, and Megan Wolford; eleven great-grandchildren, Megan Amaro, Jada Morrow, Olivia Morrow, and William Morrow all of Fort Worth, TX, Justin McCullough and Ava Grace McCullough both of Fort Mill, SC, Layla Johnson of Charleston, SC, and David Payne, Jonathan Payne, Oneal Wolford, and Rian Marie Wolford all of Winston-Salem, NC; two great-great-grandchildren, Liam Amaro and Mila Amaro both of Fort Worth, TX; two sisters-in-law, Bonnie Hash of Pulaski, VA and Ella Mae Wolford of Dublin, VA; as well as a host of loving and devoted nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends including two long-time devoted friends, Whitley Austin and her family and Christopher Stinson.

A viewing will be held from 1:00pm until 5:00pm Thursday, September 3, 2026 at Russell Funeral Home. 

Funeral services will be held at 1:00pm Friday, September 4, 2026 at John Wesley AME Zion Church with Reverend William Brawley officiating. Interment will follow in Piedmont Memorial Gardens. The family visitation will be held from 12noon until 1:00pm on Friday at the Church. Repast will be held at The Hawthorne Inn & Conference Center, 420 High Street Winston-Salem, NC 27101.

A very special thank you is extended to Mr. Wolford’s dedicated AHWFBH Sticht Center provider, Debra A. Clark, PA-C. Debra, you have been the best we could ever have hoped for and Daddy loved you.