Obit: Oldroyd, Harold (1893 - 1971)

Transcriber: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Oldroyd, Morsachek, Stumph, Teclaw, Wagner, Polnaszek, Tobola, Schmidt, Jacques, Fisher

----Source: THORP COURIER (Thorp, Clark County, Wis.) 10 Jun 1971

Oldroyd, Harold (MAY 1893 - 5 JUN 1971)

Funeral services were held on June 8th, 1971 at St. Bernard's Catholic Church, Thorp (Clark Co., Wis.) for Harold Oldroyd, 78, who passed away at Holy Family Hospital, New Richmond, Wisconsin on June 5, 1971. Father Joe officiated at the ten a.m. service, with interment in the parish cemetery.

Pallbearers were: Tom Polnaszek, Butch Teclaw, John Wagner, Joe Tobola, Ed Schmidt, and Art Jacques.

Surviving are four sons, Louis of Madison, Harold Jr. of Long Branch, New Jersey, Bill of Kansas City, Missouri, Dick of New Richmond, Wisconsin; two step-daughters, Marge Morsachek of Milwaukee and Noel Stumph of Concord, California.

Harold Oldroyd retired December 21, 1958 from Foremost-Blue Moon Cheese, Incorporated, with headquarters in Thorp.

In his early years Mr. Oldroyd was a free lace artist. He was a member of an advertising agency, and worked in connection with ladies wear, wholesale and retail. He also was, for a time, a member of the staff of the old Philadelphia North American, one of the top dailies of the country in its day, and in advertising and publicity for J.P. Liggenscot (?) Company, Philadelphia book and magazine publishers.

Mr. Oldroyd went into the dairy business in 1923, joining June Dairy Products Company, Inc., in its infancy, of Newark, New Jersey. This concern started in New York City, but soon expanded widely, the business growing from a value of $330,000 in 1923 to $61 million in 1954, when a merger was effected with Foremost Dairies.

Mr. Oldroyd first came to Clark County, Wisconsin in 1935 (?). At that time June Dairy was consolidating its merger of Thorp Diary Company with Blue Moon Cheese Products, Inc. of Minneapolis, and was rebuilding the abandoned Big Four crossing building, which had been acquired in 1939. He had been given many longtime assignments in the western operations, and finally moved to Thorp in 1944. His previous residence had been Nutley, New Jersey. His family then consisted of his first wife, Margaret, and four sons, Harold Jr., William, Louis and Richard. Mrs. Oldroyd died soon after the family settled in Thorp. In 1945 Mr. Oldroyd Married Marye A.C. Fisher (who passed away in March 1968) of Eau Claire, the mother of two daughters, Marge and Noel.

Mr. Oldroyd held various corporate offices in June Diary Products Company and Blue Moon Foods, Inc., and their subsidiary companies. He was vice president and general manager of wester opeations at the time of the merger with Foremost Dairies, Inc., completed in March 1955.

Mr. Oldroyd was born in Patterson, New Jersey in May 1893. He attended school there and later in Philadelphia, going to Wanamaker College in Pennsylvania School of Industrial Arts, The Graphic Sketch Club, and the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business. A Democrat, he was treasurer of the Democratic Club in Nutley and was a member of the county executive committee here. In public service he was in Nutley, a member of the Planning Board for eight years, and of the City Budget Commission. He is a Past Exalted Ruler of the Nutley Elks Lodge No. 1200, and was past president of the Thorp Lions Club.

He left Thorp two years ago for Somerset, Wisconsin, where he resided with his son Richard and family.