Ona Belle Hammond

Ona Belle (Happel) Hammond, 93 of Onalaska, Wis., passed away on Monday, October 16, 2017. She was born in Money Creek, Minn., on April 27, 1924 to George and Helen (Olson) McGaffey.

Ona grew up in the Money Creek area where as a child she loved to roller skate. She graduated from Houston High School in 1941. She went on to secretarial school in Winona, Minn. and went on to work at Northwest Airlines. With the arrival of World War II she realized she could make more money working on the B-24 Bombers as one of the now famous “Rosie the Riveter” girls. The day the war ended, so did her job, then she briefly worked at Montgomery Wards. On February 1, 1946 she married Ralph E. Happel. During her marriage, she lived in Caledonia, Houston and finally moved to La Crosse in 1953. Ona was a stay at home mom until her youngest child was in high school then she began working at the Ivy Motel and later the Midway Motor Lodge where she worked her way up to Executive Housekeeper. In 1988 she was named “Employee of the year” for the entire Midway Motor Lodge chain earning her a trip to Hawaii.

Seven years after Ralph’s death, Jack Hammond asked Ona to go for a Sunday drive. Both Ona and Jack were members of the same church and their kids were school classmates. They married on September 14, 1991 and both retired shortly after. They enjoyed traveling and spent many winter months in the south. For over twenty-five years the Harry J. Olson Senior Center was a very important part of her life where she would exercise with Karolyn Collins, regularly volunteer and was named Fall Harvest Queen.   The Blue Star Drum and Bugle Corps were very important to Ona. She was interviewed by the news media following a “Factory show” they performed about “Rosie the Riveter”.

In addition to her husband John “Jack” Hammond of Onalaska, she is survived by her children Randolph (Julie) Happel of Texas, Vicki Engevold of La Crosse, William (Kathy) Happel of West Bend, Wis., Kenne (Clare) Happel of Onalaska, Gail Happel of La Crosse; Step children Terry (Sue) Hammond of Galesville, Wis., Mike Hammond of Madison, Wis; fourteen grandchildren, thirteen great grandchildren, two sisters Doris Loken and Georgia Sand both of Houston, Minn. She was preceded in death by her first husband Ralph E. Happel.

A celebration of Ona’s life will be held at 11am on Monday, October 23, 2017 at the Onalaska United Methodist Church; 212 4 ^th Ave., Onalaska Wis. 54650. Pastor Park Hunter will officiate. Burial will take place in the Money Creek Cemetery, rural Houston County. Friends may call on the family at church Monday morning from 10am until the time of services. Ona was a die-hard Packer and Brewer fan. All who attend are encouraged to wear their Packers, Brewers and Badgers apparel. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Harry J. Olson Senior Center, the Onalaska UMC, or the charity of the donor’s choice.