Herbert W. Bolte rarely stayed put for long. “Doing a crossword puzzle was about as long as he could sit,” said his son, William. Mr. Bolte, 88, died of stroke-related complications Tuesday, Feb. 10, in Lutheran Home & Services in Arlington Heights, where he lived for eight years. Born and raised in Evanston, he graduated from Evanston High School. Mr. Bolte joined the Navy in 1943 and became a gunner’s mate on cargo ships. He later helped lay underwater communications cables in the Pacific and was discharged in 1946. He met his wife, Medora, in Superior, Wis., where he traveled for part-time shipping work. The couple married in the late 1940s and moved to Evanston. For a time, he tended bar at a tavern at the Chicago-Evanston border owned by Chicago Cubs catcher Gabby Hartnett, his son said. Mr. Bolte also sold tools to mechanics from the back of a truck for a time, then opened Herb’s Texaco Station in Evanston, operating it from the mid-1950s through the early 1960s. He then worked as a custodian in Evanston School District 65, retiring at age 65 as head custodian at Haven Middle School. He and his wife retired to Stevens Point, Wis. His wife died about 20 years ago. Mr. Bolte is also survived by two granddaughters. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday in Lutheran Home & Services, 800 W. Oakton St., Arlington Heights. Services will be in Wisconsin.
