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ONALASKA, Wis. (WKBT) — The Onalaska High School community is mourning the loss of one of its own — a former football player and United States Marine remembered for his big smile, loyalty, and love of service.

Michael McMahon, a 2024 Onalaska High School graduate, died March 9, 2026 during a training accident while serving in the Marine Corps. He was 19 years old.

Family and friends say McMahon was known for his energy, his passion, and the way he made people around him feel seen. His mother, Shelly McMahon, and his siblings — Maria McMahon Andrist, AnneMarie McMahon, Caeli McMahon and Siena Linskey — say his legacy will live on through the people and communities he touched.

Onalaska football head coach Tom Yashinsky remembers McMahon as kindhearted and a great teammate.

“He was always a really happy kid with us. He was always upbeat, had a great smile, was just a great kid to be around and everybody loved him,” Yashinsky said.

After graduating from Onalaska in 2024, McMahon continued his football career in college at Concordia University Wisconsin. But soon, his family says, he felt called to something else — serving his country.

“I talked to him just in the fall when he was here and he decided he wanted to go into the Marines – he was super excited about that,” Yashinsky said. “He loved that opportunity”

His family says that pride in wearing the uniform was impossible to miss.

 “He would walk through the door and be like ‘I freaking love being a Marine’ and he was so excited to use his military discount, he couldn’t believe that the grocery store wouldn’t take a military ID for a discount!” his sister Caeli McMahon said.

When asked what Michael would have wanted to be remembered for, his sister Siena Linskey didn’t hesitate.

“A Marine,” she said.

Though his time in uniform was cut short, his family believes his light will continue to shine through the people he helped and encouraged.

“Even when we weren’t watching he was always just being there for other people, and always challenging them to be their best selves,” said his sister AnneMarie McMahon.

Sister Maria McMahon Andrist said the family is focused on “taking his light and his legacy, and carrying it on so people feel like he’s still here.”

They say the support from the Onalaska community has been overwhelming — from prayers, to donations, to stories about how Michael touched people.

“It wasn’t until now where we realized the impact he had on people through sports, through church, through friendships,” said his mother, Shelly McMahon.

His family describes him as someone who lived big and loved big — whether that was with his teammates, his fellow Marines or his family.

Caeli McMahon says one piece of advice from her brother will stay with her forever.

“One thing that will stick with me from him is when he told me I just need to live life and appreciate the little things,” she said.

McMahon’s family says anyone looking to honor his memory can do so by supporting organizations that shaped his life — including the La Crosse Lightning club, the Onalaska High School football program, St. Patrick’s youth group and Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish.

​COPYRIGHT 2026 BY NEWS 8 NOW/NEWS 8000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.