BIOGRAPHY

Herbert Wolding was born in Portage, Wisconsin, USA on 15 October 1912. His parents were Hans Oliver Wolding (1879–1967) and Hannah Egeland (1885–1980), both born to Norwegian parents. He had at least one brother, Manferd (1914–1996). He attended Amherst High School, but he never graduated. After earning his eighth-grade certificate, he left school to help his family with their business.

On 25 June 1934, he married Evelyn Henke in Waukegan, Illinois. The couple went on to have four children: Richard, Don, Duane, and Cathy (married Kirsling). In 1935, during the Great Depression, he started a single-truck operation that ran daily milk deliveries in Nelsonville, Wisconsin, later known as H.O. Wolding, Inc. The headquarters would later move to a larger facility in Amherst, Wisconsin. His company went from having just one truck to having more than 350 tractors in its fleet.

In his retirement, he traveled to Norway and toured the country with his wife. He remained a devoted member of the Nelsonville Lutheran Church. His wife passed away in 2011, at the age of 93.

Herbert Wolding passed away in Nelsonville, Wisconsin, USA, on 17 November 2023, at the age of 111 years, 33 days. He was survived by three children (Richard, Don, and Cathy), six grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, 3 step great-grandchildren, 3 great-great-grandchildren, and 1 step great-great-grandchild.

RECOGNITION

In October 2022, he became the first (known) man born in Wisconsin to reach the age of 110. He also became the second man to reach this age in the State, following Andrew Small (1891–2003). At the time of his death, Wolding was just four days away from surpassing Small’s final age and becoming the oldest man to ever live in Wisconsin.

His age was verified by Stefan Maglov and James Roberts, and validated by LongeviQuest on 9 February 2023.

At the time of death, he was the second-oldest known living person in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, behind Ruth Stryzewski, and the State’s oldest living man.

ATTRIBUTION

* Hans Oliver Wolding – Find A Grave

* “Herbert “Herb” O. Wolding Obituary” – Holly Funeral Home

GALLERY