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The Wolek family is an original family of fictional characters on the American soap opera One Life to Live when it debuts in 1968. They were created as the working-class reflection of the affluent Lords, with early storylines exploring the ways these families interacted and contrasted. The Polish American family is formed around the relationships of Dr. Lawrence "Larry" Wolek, a character who appears from the debut episode in July 1968 through May 2004.

Generations[]

  • Only current spouses are listed or those who were married when they died
  • Notable children who are stillborn or die before proper character development are italicized

Ancestors[]

  • Unnamed Wolek (common ancestor)

First generation[]

  • Unnamed Wolek descendant
  • Unnamed Wolek descendant

Second generation[]

  • Anna Wolek (born early 1940s)
  • Vincent "Vinny" Wolek (born mid-1940s; death 1981)
    • Wanda Webb [dissolved by his death]
  • Lawrence "Larry" Wolek (born late 1940s)
  • Karen Wolek (born early 1950s)
  • Jennifer "Jenny" Wolek (born mid-to-late 1950s; legal death 1997)
    • Tim Siegel [widowed]
    • Peter Janssen [widowed]
    • David Renaldi [legally dissolved 1997]

Third generation[]

  • Daniel Wolek (born November 17, 1971; changed to 1966)
  • Unnamed girl (stillborn; November 17, 1971; changed to 1966)
  • Mary Vernon (stillborn; 1979)

Introduction[]

Main article: Larry Wolek

When the Wolek family is first introduced at the inception of One Life to Live, Dr. Larry Wolek is presented as the youngest of an upwardly mobile clan of siblings who live in a rough-and-tumble west Llanview apartment building directly opposite Llanfair housekeeper Sadie Gray (Lillian Hayman). Larry's siblings are shown to be elders Anna, sibling matriarch and Llanview Hospital volunteer, and Vincent (better known as "Vince" or "Vinny"), an auto mechanic. The two older siblings personally and financially sacrifice to enable Larry to pursue his expensive dream of being a doctor; Anna does so selflessly, but Vince is shown as being particularly resentful of the prestige and opportunity a medical career affords Larry, in particular in his romantic relationship with Meredith Lord, the daughter of Llanview media mogul Victor Lord.[1]

After Meredith's death, Wolek distant cousins and siblings Jenny and Karen Wolek arrive in fictional Llanview the mid-1970s. Larry and Karen marry after a whirlwind courtship and romance, but she later cuckolds him when she becomes a prostitute and the two divorce. Jenny engages in a series of romances from the late 1970s through the 1980s.

Family tree[]

  • Unknown Wolek (distant relative; deceased)
    • m. Unknown [dissolved] (deceased)
      • c. Anna Wolek
        • m. Jim Craig [1969-1981; dissolved]
      • c. Vince Wolek [deceased 1981]
        • m. Wanda Webb [1975-1981; dissolved]
      • c. Larry Wolek
        • m. Karen Martin [1969; divorced]
        • m. Meredith Lord [1970-1973; dissolved] (deceased)
          • c. Daniel Wolek [b. 1971]
          • c. Unnamed daughter [stillborn 1971]
        • m. Karen Wolek [1977-1979; divorced]
        • m. Laurel Chapin [1985; dissolved] (deceased)
  • Unknown Wolek (distant relative; deceased)
    • m. Unknown [dissolved] (deceased)
      • c. Jenny Wolek [deceased 1997]
        • m. Tim Siegel [dissolved 1976]
        • m. Brad Vernon [1978-1981; divorced]
          • c. Mary Vernon [stillborn 1979]
        • m. Peter Janssen [1981-1982; dissolved] (deceased)
        • m. David Renaldi [1984-199?; dissolved] (deceased)
      • c. Karen Wolek

References[]

  1. Error on call to Template:cite book: Parameter title must be specifiedThe Survival of Soap Opera: Transformations for a New Media Era. University Press of Mississippi (2010). Retrieved on August 19, 2012.

External links[]

Wolek Family
One Life to Live
Information
Place(s) of Origin One Life to Live
Duration 1968-2004
Notable members Larry Wolek
Karen Wolek
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