Kate Linder, beloved as Esther Valentine on The Young and the Restless, has suffered a deep personal loss. The actress’s rep has confirmed the sad news that her mother has died.
Kate Linder Mourns Her Mother, Molly Wolvek
Molly Wolveck, 98, passed away on June 1, 2023. She was born on November 20, 1924, in Los Angeles, an only child, to Henry and Esther Mandelbaum, who owned a local dry cleaning store. She grew up in Pasadena, and on a trip to Lake Gregory at age 16, she serendipitously met the love of her life, her future husband, Ralph Wolveck. Three years later, they married on March 21, 1943. The two worked together at the local Market Basket grocery store, and when Ralph got a job as an usher at a local theater, Molly went to see a movie every day to spend more time with him.
A Real-Life Super Couple
Wolveck was instrumental in helping her husband start his CPA firm and operate it. The couple eventually settled in Arcadia, Calif., and were happily married for 70 years until he passed away in 2013. They both were known for their incredible work ethic, and she continued to run their business until her passing.
Wolveck was a devoted and supportive mother to her children, Kate and Randy, and was also an avid theatergoer, philanthropist, and patron of the arts. After years of watching The Young and the Restless from the very first episode, she was delighted when her daughter, Linder, joined the cast nine years later. She was even more thrilled when she and her husband made a guest appearance on the show together. Molly made a second guest appearance on the show in 2017.
Wolveck and Suzanne Lloyd, Tracey Bregman’s (Lauren) mother, appeared on the show as part of the storyline that had Dina (Marla Adams) going with the manipulative Graham Bloodworth (Max Shippee) to Florida.
She was also extremely active, enjoyed many nights of dinner and theatre, family season tickets to cheer on their favorite team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, which she loved to discuss with her son, Randy. Wolveck played tennis and golf into her 90s, and to satisfy her zest for life, she bravely went skydiving on her 70th birthday. There was never a party that she wanted to miss, and she was a familiar and welcome face at many Hollywood and arts events in Los Angeles and Pasadena over the past several decades. She was still attending events and retaining her enjoyment for life as recently as days before she passed.
Kate Linder: Family Matters
Wolveck is survived by her daughter Kate, (whose husband Ron passed away in 2017), her son Randy, and his wife Gina, and her seven grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and scores of nieces and nephews, and she adored all of them. She was loved and admired by all who knew her. There will be a private memorial, and donations can be made to the Molly Wolveck Memorial Fund at the Lupus Foundation of America. Soap Hub sends sincere condolences to Linder at this difficult time.
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