Helen (Gratton) Strand and Doris (Thompson) Kosloske ride through the Hollandale Homecoming parade two years ago at age 100.
August 16 and August 23, 2026, were two very special dates this year. Those were the birthdays of two Hollandale natives who each turned 102 years old.
Doris (Thompson) Kosloske is one week older than Helen (Gratton) Strand. Both are 1942 graduates of Hollandale High School and have been friends for an amazing 88 years. Doris lives in Fond du Lac, while Helen lives in Janesville. Helen’s husband passed away shortly before his 100th birthday.
Two years ago, at the age of 100, Doris and Helen returned to Hollandale for Homecoming, where they proudly served as Parade Marshals.
Diane Hanson, a Hollandale High School graduate, contributed to this article and has a special connection to both of these remarkable women. Her mother was a classmate of Doris and Helen. Sadly, she passed away at the age of 51-exactly half the age Doris and Helen are today.
Doris’s nephew, Doug Thompson, and Helen’s nephew, Jack Gratton, are both classmates of Diane. The three classmates even had the opportunity to play golf together this summer.
After 88 years of friendship, two 102nd birthdays, and countless memories, Doris and Helen continue to be a remarkable part of Hollandale’s history and a wonderful reminder of the lasting bonds formed in a small community.
According to the Guinness Book of Records the longest friendship on record is 83 years 172 days.
