H. Wilde Dies; Rites on Monday

St. Ansgar – Funeral services for Henry Wilde, 84, a lifelong resident of Mitchell County, will be held at 2 p.m. Monday at St. Johns Lutheran Church in Rock Township. He died Friday at his home here.

Wilde had farmed in Rock Township until 1949 when he moved to St. Ansgar.

Survivors include his wife, Lizzie; three daughters, Mrs. Earl Kuntz and Mrs. Roland Hackbarth, both of Grafton, and Mrs. Allen Feldt, Mitchell; four sons, Arnold, Roy and Irvin, all of Osage, and Elmer, Mitchell; 21 grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren and four sisters, Augusta Eske; Selma Steinberg; and Eleanora Hinsmann, all of St. Ansgar; and Edna Walk, Grafton.

Burial will be in the Rock Township Cemetery with the Schroeder and Houg Funeral Home in charge.

Mason City Globe Gazette, Sunday August 31, 1963
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Henry Wilde was born April 23, 1879 in Rock Township, Mitchell County, the son of Ferd and Augusta (Tesch) Wilde. His wife, Elizabeth Neuman, was born January 5, 1889 in Worth Count, the daughter of August and Mary (Walk) Neuman.

On November 8, 1808 they were married at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Grafton, Iowa.

They farmed until 1918 on a farm two miles east of Grafton where Arnold, Roy, Alice, Alma, and Wilma were born. Then they moved to the old Wilde homestead where they lived until their retirement in 1949 when they moved to their home in St. Ansgar.

Henry began farming in 1908 and was also a part-time carpenter, helping his father build houses in the area where they lived.

Elizabeth was a homemaker raising their ten children. They spent their retirement years in St. Ansgar. Henry died at the age of 84 on August 30, 1963, and Elizabeth died at the age of 75 on March 2, 1964. Henry, in his retirement years, liked to visit the family farm where his son, Elmer, now resided, and enjoyed fishing. Elizabeth was kept busy with the many visits of children and grandchildren.

They are buried in Rock Township (St. John's Lutheran Cemetery) near the church they attended all their married life.

The Union was blessed with ten children: Arnold, born Mary 31, 1909; Roy C., Born May 16, 1911; Alice, born April 7, 1913; Alma A., born August 7, 1914; Wilma, born September 12, 1915; Ferdinand, born January 12, 1918; Vinora, born April 28, 1920; Irvin, born February 9, 1923; George, born in 1926; and Elmer, born June 28, 1927. Five of the children are still living. Arnold died April 22, 1976; Elmer died June 8, 1987; Ferdinand died August 29, 1929; and Alma and George died in infancy.

The children married and live (or lived) in Mitchell and Worth County areas. They are all retired with the exception of Irvin, who is still farming.

Arnold married Erma Schmidt, who died in 1942. They had two children, Allen and Marlys. Later he married Ruth Dutte and they had one son, Richard. Ruth lives in Grafton, Iowa. Roy married Roe Wahl. Their children are Arlene, Melvin, and Rose Mary. Roy and Rose reside in Osage, Iowa. Alice married Earl Kuntz, who died on August 19, 1983. They had four children, Garry, Harlan, Cleone, and Craig (deceased). Alice now resides on a farm near Carpenter, Iowa.

Wilma married Roland Hackbart and they reside on a farm near Grafton, Iowa. They are the parents of Janice, Jane, Jerry, Marlene, and Barbara. Vinora married Allen Feldt who died in 1960. They had one son, Charles. Vinora now resides in a house near the parental homestead. Irvin married Irene Eske and they live on a farm near the parental homestead. Their two daughters are Janet and Karen. Elmer married Loreen Cooper. They had three daughters,, Mary, Marjorie, and Marsha and three sons, Elmer, Jr., Kenneth, and Larry (deceased). Elmer died June 8, 1987. Loreen lives on the parental homestead, located in the SE 1/4 of Sec. 9 in Rock Township.

By Janice Hackbart
1989