Friends are invited to a celebration of Herman Wrede’s life at 4
p.m. Saturday at Grunnagle-Ament-Nelson Funeral Home, 870 San
Benito St.
Herman Wrede, a former editor of the Hollister Free Lance and The Pinnacle and an active community member for many years, has died. He was 74.
Wrede passed away at his Hollister home Sunday. Born in Toledo, Ohio, he served as a tank operator for the U.S. Army in Germany after graduating from college.
He moved to San Benito County with his family in 1968 at age 34 from Gardena to become editor of the Free Lance, a post he held for nine years. Wrede later became the first editor of The Pinnacle.
An avid writer and reader with an adoration for the English language, Wrede in his later years remained active and visible at community events, where he often shared his seemingly endless supply of dry jokes and William Shakespeare references.
He was known as a charitable person, despite lacking wealth. Each year, he volunteered at the Marley Holte holiday dinners and he anonymously donated money each Christmas to various people or organizations, said Irene Agredano, Wrede’s landlord and friend, who handled the delivery of those gifts.
Wrede is survived by his spouse, Sigrid, of Costa Mesa, and three children.
Friends are invited to a celebration of Wrede’s life at 4 p.m. Saturday at Grunnagle-Ament-Nelson Funeral Home, 870 San Benito St.
Look for an expanded story on Wrede’s life in Friday’s edition.
