OREGON - Wayne H. Hook, 80, passed away on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at St. Mary's Hospital. He was born on March 15, 1945, the son of Leslie and Dowyle (Newton) Hook.

On October 18, 1969, Wayne married Jeanne Keehn at Bethel Lutheran Church in Madison. Together they were blessed with two children.

Wayne spent his school years in Brooklyn, and when the high school closed, spent his final year of high school in Oregon, graduating in 1963. He graduated from MATC with a degree in marketing. He was drafted into the U.S. Army on September 27, 1966, and served 13 months in Vietnam where he drove a personnel carrier. He was honorably discharged on September 4, 1968, and was awarded the Purple Heart, the National Defense Ribbon, the Vietnamese Campaign Medal, Army Accommodation Medal, Vietnamese Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and the Safe Drivers Badge. He was a proud member of the Oregon/Brooklyn VFW and was honored to serve as a VFW member at numerous funerals for other veterans. The friends he made while in the service remained an important and meaningful part of his life. He cherished his involvement with the Blackhawk 2-1 Cavalry Association, traveling to several reunions across the United States. He loved his “Kokomo reunions.”

Wayne was a good handyman and learned how to make many repairs through his years of working at Ellis Hardware and later for Ellis Wholesale.

Wayne bowled in the same Oregon community bowling league for over 50 years and enjoyed playing ball in Brooklyn and Oregon. He worked regularly at Columbus 151 Speedway and occasionally at Madison International Speedway and Jefferson Speedway. He loved racing his #22 backup car with a bunch of other great guys also crazy enough to race in reverse! He was an avid hockey fan and held season tickets to UW Men’s Hockey for many years. He enjoyed nothing more than a cold beer and talking to friends or even people he didn’t know. He never met a stranger.

Wayne is survived by his wife, Jeanne; daughter, Heather; son, Jason (Sue); grandsons, Eric (Kelsey) and Noah; granddaughter, Alexa; great-grandchildren, Jamison, Eloise, Bennett and Daisy; cousins, Nancy Hook and Sonja (Michael) Dewey; nephew, Kurt (Tammy) Pierce; and several other relatives and friends. He is also survived by a brother-in-law, Walter Keehn; and brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Tim and Sue Sullivan. He was preceded in death by his parents; and sister, Barbara (Norman) Pierce.

A celebration of life will be held at VFW Post 7591, 301 Cottage Grove Road, Madison, from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday May 23, 2026, with Military Honors to be held at 2 p.m.

Memorials may be made to the family and will be distributed to several organizations Wayne supported. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson Oregon
Funeral & Cremation Care
1150 Park St.
(608) 835-3515

Wayne H Hook

March 15, 1945 - February 24, 2026

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