Lawrence “Larry” P. Wilding passed away on January 12, 2019 after an unexpected brain aneurism while surrounded by family.
Lawrence Paul was born in Winner, Tripp County, SD on October 1,1934, to William K. Jr. and Ruth I. Wilding. He grew up in Winner as a farm boy. After graduating from Winner High school, he attended South Dakota State College, majoring in Soils and Crops.
It was during his time at SDSC that Larry met the love of his life, Gladys Dora Milne. They were married after graduation in 1956 and started their life together as Larry worked on his M.S. degree in Soils graduating in 1959. He also served faithfully in the National Guard. From there, they moved to Urbana, IL, where he received a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in 1962. From there, Larry joined the Ohio State University Agronomy faculty in 1962 and worked on soil genesis and classification and clay mineralogy for fourteen years. In 1976, the family made their final move to Texas A&M University to join a vibrant Soil and Crop Science department until his retirement in 2003, after which he was bestowed the title of Professor Emeritus. His rich career included innumerable awards and writings in journals and books. He was known as a leader in the field of Pedology.
Larry and Gladys enjoyed seeing the world and visited a significant number of countries, oftentimes with work related events, invitations, and speaking engagements. Frequent trips were made to South Dakota and Scotland to visit family and friends. Trips to New Hampshire, a second home, were especially enjoyable. These places and people were especially dear to them.
In his free time, Larry enjoyed woodworking and fixing things, gardening, and at social clubs, enjoyed bridge and gourmet foods. He collected rocks, antiques, coins, and clocks and loved attending Aggie football and basketball games. He spent many years being involved and serving faithfully at First Presbyterian Church in Bryan.
Larry and Gladys were blessed with 62 years of marriage. Their enduring love was evident in all they did and was especially meaningful the last few years as Larry served beyond compare in his role of caregiver to Gladys.
Larry is survived by his wife: Gladys Wilding; his four children: Linda (Terry) Kirschenman; Doris (Karl) Hermann, Charles (Laura) Wilding and David (Michelle) Wilding; his ten grandchildren: Mark, Stewart (Lauren), Christine, Katie (Luke), Susan, Scott (Emily), Heather, Victoria, Grace and Hope as well as numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews and his Spanish foreign exchange student: Ignacio Fernandez-Montez, who was like a son to him.
A service to celebrate his life was held at First Presbyterian of Bryan on January 19 with interment at the Aggie Field of Honor.
Memorials may be sent to the Texas A&M Foundation, 401 George Bush Drive, College Station, Texas 77840. Please designate the Larry and Gladys Wilding International Student Travel Scholarship (#35065) in the memo line of the check or visit www.hillierfuneralhome.com and see Larry’s tribute page to donate online.
