The School District of Onalaska will honor Michael McMahon, a member of the Class of 2024 and a former Onalaska High School football and lacrosse player, during a Wall of Honor ceremony on Sunday, May 17, at 6:30 p.m. at Onalaska High School.
McMahon will be remembered as part of a memorial that recognizes alumni who lost their lives in service to the country.
He passed away in March 2026 during a training exercise at Camp Pendleton, California. He was 19.
Born in 2006, McMahon grew up in the Holmen area and built strong ties to sports from an early age. At Onalaska High School, he played both football and lacrosse, and football remained a major part of his life after graduation.
That path led him to Concordia University, where he played for a year before finding a new direction in military service.
In 2025, McMahon enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and quickly stood out during boot camp, where he served as both a guide and squad leader. He took pride in becoming a Marine, and that commitment now stands at the center of how many in the community are remembering him.
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The Wall of Honor ceremony will give classmates, family members, teammates, school staff, and community members a chance to gather and reflect on a life that moved from local school sports to college football and then to service in the Marines.
Guests attending the ceremony are encouraged to enter through Doors P at Onalaska High School near the commons.
The reaction around McMahon’s memorial has reflected both grief and deep appreciation.
Chelsea Rehman wrote, “Thankful for his service and dedication. So sad to see someone’s life cut so short.”
Kathy Fairleigh Bosworth remembered him by writing, “You changed so many peoples lives Michael, we will honor you always. THANK YOU for your love for others, and FOR your country.”
Lucas Wiltsie added, “Rest in peace marine. May you forever be honored, respected, and feared as a devil dog.”
Those words capture the way McMahon is being remembered by the people around him, not only as a former student athlete, but as a young man whose life left an impact in school, in sport, and in service.
For Onalaska, the May 17 ceremony will be about more than placing a name on a wall.
It will be about honoring a former Hilltopper whose path carried him from football pads and lacrosse fields to the Marines, and whose memory will now hold a permanent place in school history.
The May 17 ceremony will be open to the public, with guests asked to enter through Doors P at Onalaska High School near the commons.
For Onalaska, the moment carries both sadness and pride. McMahon’s story stretches from local school sports to college football and then to the Marines, where he found a new purpose in serving his country. His name will now be placed on a memorial that connects individual sacrifice with the broader history of the school’s alumni.
That gives the ceremony a weight beyond a typical school event. It will bring together the memory of a former student athlete, the commitment he showed after graduation, and the place he now holds in the school’s history.
McMahon’s legacy will be remembered through the Wall of Honor, but also through the people who knew him as a classmate, teammate, player, and Marine. On May 17, Onalaska will set aside time to remember all of those parts of his life together.
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