he was born in meløya (part of øksnes) as a son of fisher-farmers. his mother died shortly after his birth, and his father became invalid in 1918. his father died in 1925, and lydolf moved to stranda where he worked at a furniture factory. he attended fana folk high school, volda teachers' college and the norwegian college of teaching in trondheim from 1950 to 1951, and also took the examen artium in 1942.