Surnames: O’Brien, Uhlig

----Source: The Tribune - Phonograph (Abbotsford, Clark Co., WI), Wednesday, February 18, 2009, Online Edition, Story by Kevin O’Brien

Longtime Abby contractor Alvin Uhlig hits 100 mark

Many of the buildings and houses that make Abbotsford the city it is today can be traced back to one man, Alvin Uhlig, who celebrated his 100th birthday last Thursday with a few family members.

As the founder and longtime owner of Uhlig Construction, Alvin helped build five buildings on the city’s Main Street, including Nikolay’s Law Office and the Abby Bakery, and remodel 11 others.

In addition, his company built over 100 houses for the old Abbotsford Homes. "Half of this town, you might say," he said with a smile.

Alvin was born on February 12, 1909, on a farm in Colby and moved to the Dorchester area when he was about 15 years old. The only formal education he received was at Curtiss Elementary School, after which he left school. "I didn’t have time to go then," he said. "I had to work."

He started off building timber-frame barns before starting his own construction business sometime around 1940. His great-grandson, Kyle, continues to run the business to this day. His legacy in buildings is almost matched by his family legacy.

Alvin has two sons, Alfred, who lives in Abbotsford, and Robert, who lives in Dorchester, and two daughters, Janet in Onalaska, and Yvonne in Cambridge, Minn. He has also 15 grand-children, several great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

Still living on his own in the Green Vista apartment complex in Abbotsford, Alvin went over to his son Alfred’s last Thursday for a birthday lunch of fresh crappies caught in South Dakota. "They were really good," he remarked.

"He’s going to have some strawberry shortcake after this," said Viola, Alfred’s wife. For 22 years after he retired, he and his late wife Laura lived on Pier Lake, where he enjoyed fishing, among other activities.

"Years ago, there used to be a lot of crappies in our lake," he said. He was also an avid hunter. "He told me he’s been hunting since he was 16," Alfred said. "He says he figures he’s shot over 100 deer in his lifetime."

Looking out his son’s window at the Abbotsford High School, he remarks on how much Abbotsford had changed over the years.

"There was nothing here besides railroad tracks and a little brush," he said. "It really got to be a pretty good-size town."

Obit: Uhlig, Alvin A. (1909 - 2010)

First Name: Alvin
Middle Name: A
Last Name: Uhlig
Name Suffix:
Birth Date: 12 February 1909
Social Security Number: 394-09-9471
Place of Issuance: Wisconsin
Last Residence: Abbotsford, Clark, Wisconsin
Zip Code of Last Residence: 54405
Death Date : 8 June 2010
Estimated Age at Death: 101