The secret to a long life is hard work, according to Herman L. Wrede Jr. But a long and happy marriage probably helps. Wrede had been married more than 70 years when his wife, Evelyn, died in 2011.
"She used to say she loved how I loved her," Wrede said, looking back over 105 years. Pictures of Evelyn at 17, 25 and 95 are on display in his room.
On Dec. 19, Wrede will turn 105.
He was born in Mamaroneck, N.Y., in Westchester County, and worked for the same company for 50 years. He started at a Grand Union grocery store when he was still in high school and turned it into a career.
He was drafted for military service not long after the United States entered World War II, but he failed his physical.
"You don't tell a guy like me you're not fit for service," he said.
He got the draft board to explain that the problem was his arm. After an automobile accident that broke his arm and shoulder badly, he wasn't able to raise his right arm above shoulder height. He couldn't convince the draft board that he could function as a soldier, but they told him he should go ahead and volunteer. He suspects the members of the draft board expected he would be turned away from service, but he wasn't. He was in the army for four years, serving in the south Pacific during the war.
By then, Wrede was already married and managing a grocery store. He believes it's that experience that got him put in charge of supplies. He went from enlisted man to acting corporal to staff sergeant very quickly. He was offered the opportunity to become an officer, but he turned it down. He knew how his enlisted friends felt about "90 Day Wonders" -- the product of officer training schools.
He was stationed on Bougainville Island in the South Pacific and earned a Battle Star during the Second Battle of Bougainville. The fighting came about when a volcano erupted and the chaos that followed allowed a large group of Japanese prisoners to escape. Wrede's unit was involved in the fight.
When he returned home, he went back to Grand Union and resumed his career. He still has several letters from both his superiors and his customers praising his management skills. Eventually, he was moved to the front office where he was called "the maven." Wrede said he had to look up the word "maven" but discovered it meant "expert." During the last years of his career, he was the company's problem solver.
He's the only Grand Union Employee to receive a 50-year plaque.
When he retired in 1980, his wife wanted to live closer to their son who was in Kansas. They had taken advantage of the free tours offered by Cooper Communities, so Wrede knew about Bella Vista. It was close enough to Kansas to drive, so they moved south.
He joined the Nine Hole men's golf group, which at that time had 900 members. Werde was one of the volunteers who tracked scores by hand. There were no computers at the time.
"After all those years in grocery stores, I was a computer," Wrede said. He could do the math in his head.
For many years, the Wredes lived on Churchill drive and attended St. Theodore's. When he fell in the kitchen and broke his back, he entered a long-term care facility.
Although he has no family in the area, Wrede has many friends who celebrated his 100th birthday and will be back for his 105th.
General News on 12/12/2018