Harmon "Ham" Gundersen

Harmon ("Ham") Wacker Gundersen, age 100, peacefully passed away on August 18, 2025, surrounded by his family.

Ham was born on December 27, 1924, to Hattie Wacker Gundersen and Arnold (Sigurd) Gundersen in Plymouth, Wisconsin. Hattie experienced a difficult labor and doctors weren't sure newborn Harmon would survive.

Survive he did.

Ham attended St. John's Lutheran School and graduated from Plymouth High School in 1943. During high school, Ham excelled in sports-football (running back) and track. Small but speedy, and fiercely competitive, Ham held the Plymouth High School record in the 440-yard dash. He earned his nickname, Ham, after an impressive performance in a greased pig contest at the Sheboygan County Fair.

He attended Lakeland College briefly and in 1945, was drafted into the Army and sent to the Pacific as World War II was winding down. He said that he and his company thought they were being sent to Japan but ended up in Beijing (then called Peking). He was honorably discharged in January 1947.

Returning to Plymouth, Ham met Evelyn Wehrmann at Schwartz's Resort in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. He was delivering ice cream and she was a waitress there. They were married on June 7, 1952, at Immanuel UCC in the Town of Herman, Wisconsin. They lived most of their married life in Plymouth, raising three children, Karole, David, and Judy.

Ham's vocation was being a barber. But it was his avocation that defined much of his life: playing golf. Taking up the hobby in 1969, his family estimates that he played more than 10,000 rounds over 50-plus years. A lifelong athlete, he was still playing over 100 rounds even at age 97. His home course was Quit Qui Oc Golf Club in Elkhart Lake. He scored two hole-in-ones there on holes 7 and 14. In 2013, he and Evie moved to the Salem Green 55+ community, conveniently located across the street from Evergreen Municipal Golf Course, allowing him to walk onto the course on the third hole.

In addition to playing golf, he and Evie traveled, watched sports, especially the Packers, Brewers, Bucks, and Badgers, wintered for several years in Florida, made many trips to Door County, and spent a lot of time with friends and family, including and Evie's sisters and their husbands, Marie and Arnie Miller and Eleanor and John Dees, and Fred Wehrmann, Evie's brother.

Ham was healthy up until just a few days before he passed. At hospice, his nurses marveled at the strength of his 100-year-old heart. When asked to share the secret to his longevity, he simply said, "Luck, I guess."

We think it was a combination of luck, daily exercise, and good, if a bit weird, eating habits. He was a jokester, the life of the party, and a nickname coiner. Even in his final moments, he maintained his sense of humor- "I have an excellent memory but it's very short."

Up until his death, Ham was the oldest resident at the 55-plus Salem Green community. We are eternally grateful and indebted to his niece, our cousin, Theresa (Tessweedle-per Ham) Dees, who supported him daily with companionship, meals, health care, transportation, and wise counsel after Evie passed away in 2019. He would not have survived without Theresa. And he loved her like a daughter. We are also very grateful to Susie Fries, a resident of Salem Green, who became a companion and caregiver for Ham. Together they cheered on the Brewers, and 2025 turned out to be quite the summer. Thank you, too, to Comfort Keepers, David and Jason, and to Kelly DenBoer, of Salem Green.

Ham is survived by three children: Karole (John Scott), David, and Judy (Pete Anderson). He is also survived by six grandchildren, Heidi Bruggink Sulman of Boston, MA, Jason Gundersen, Plymouth, and Samantha (Justin), Richardson, Sheboygan Falls, Madeline (Ben Jordan) Anderson, Whitefish Bay, WI, and David and Sam Anderson, both of Chicago. Ham is also survived by six great grandchildren, Gabe Sulman, Josiah (Jasmin) Gundersen, Beckett and Reece Richardson, and Oliver and Lola Jordan. A great-great granddaughter, Elizabeth (Josiah and Jasmin), was born in spring. He is also survived by a nephew and seven nieces, including Theresa.

He was preceded in death by his dear wife Evie, grandson Michael Bruggink in 2024, brother Richard and his wife, Barbara, and Richard's former wife, Denise. He was also preceded in death by sisters-and brothers-in-law, Marie and Arnold Miller, Eleanor and John Dees, and Fred Wehrmann.

Ham did not want a funeral. But to honor his long life, we will host a reception at Quit Qui Oc Golf Club in Elkhart Lake from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 25. Please come to share stories and memories of him, or you could decide to play 27 holes and refuse to use a cart. The reception will immediately follow his inurnment at Woodlawn Cemetery in Plymouth, where he will rest alongside Evie and grandson Mike Bruggink.

We thank the compassionate, tender, highly skilled, and wise nurses and nursing assistants who cared for Ham at the end. A special thank you to Jayne, who arranged for a Veterans' Pin Ceremony just a couple of hours before he passed.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice Center in Sheboygan Falls https://ssrhospicehome.org/giving/ or the Sheboygan County Humane Society (he loved dogs) https://adoptsheboygancounty.org/donate/.