Gerontology Wiki
Gerontology Wiki
Gerontology Wiki
7,820
pages
in: Male supercentenarians, American supercentenarians, 1912 births,
and 9 more

Herbert Wolding

Sign in to edit
Herbert Wolding
Herbert Wolding
Wolding at the age of 109
Birth: 15 October 1912
Portage, Wisconsin, USA
Death: 17 November 2023
Portage, Wisconsin, USA
Age: 111 years, 33 days
Country: United StatesUSA
Validated

Herbert O. "Herb" Wolding (15 October 1912 – 17 November 2023) was an American supercentenarian who was, at time of his death, the oldest known living man in the U.S. state of Wisconsin from the death of 108-year-old Benigno Velazquez on 7 April 2020, the oldest known living man born in the United States from the death of 110-year-old Raymond Monroy on 7 January 2023, and the second-oldest known living man in the United States (behind Francis Zouein). He was also the founder of H.O. Wolding, Inc., a Wisconsin-based trucking company operating in the continental United States. His age is validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG).

Biography[]

Herbert Wolding was born in Portage, Wisconsin, USA on 15 October 1912. His parents were Hans Oliver Wolding and Hannah Egeland, both born to Norwegian parents.

Wolding attended Amherst High School, but he never graduated. After earning his eighth grade certificate, he left school to help his family with their business. He was married to Evelyn (née Henke) Wolding. The couple had two sons: Dick and Don. Evelyn died in 2011 at the age of 93.

In 1935, during the Great Depression, Wolding started a single-truck operation which ran daily milk deliveries in Nelsonville, Wisconsin, now known as H.O. Wolding, Inc. The headquarters would later move to a larger facility in Amherst, Wisconsin, where it is currently located today. His company went from having just one truck to having more than 350 tractors in its fleet. The company shipped more than 70,000 truckloads in 2018.

At the age of 106, Wolding still visited his company's headquarters on a frequent basis to make sure it was still doing well. His two sons, Dick and Don, have served as officers of the company, and his grandson, Marc, is currently the president of the company.

On his 108th birthday in 2020, Wolding was not able to celebrate his birthday with his relatives as he normally would, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, he celebrated by having his relatives drive by his house to congratulate him for his milestone (some of whom even dropped off cupcakes for him).

On his 109th birthday in 2021, as COVID-19 restrictions were easing, Wolding had a large birthday celebration in his hometown of Portage with many friends, neighbors, and family members, though they remained outside as they wouldn't have to worry about COVID-19 spreading. One of Wolding's family members drove him to the celebration.

In October 2022, Wolding celebrated his 110th birthday and became a supercentenarian. In his honor, the Amherst High School congratulated him for reaching this milestone, and its STEAM Center was also named after him, as he and his family are longtime supporters of the school.

Herbert Wolding died on 17 November 2023 in Portage, Wisconsin, USA at the age of 111 years, 33 days. At the time of his death, he was the second-oldest known living person in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, behind Ruth Stryzewski. He is also the oldest known man ever from Wisconsin and the only man born there to reach the ages of 110 and 111.

Gallery[]

External Links[]

References[]

Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.