Henn (Hank) Oona

Henn (Hank) Oona

April 1939 – December 29, 2024

Hank Oona passed away on December 29 after a prolonged stay at Sombrillo and Aspen Ridge Lodge care facilities. Hank led a long and full life. He was born in Estonia within weeks of the short-lived secret accord between Hitler and Stalin, which gave Estonia (free since WWI) to the Soviet Union. During WWII, Germany pushed the Soviets out of Estonia, and the Soviets were in the process of retaking the country when Hank’s family decided to flee to Sweden. However, while attempting to reach a boat bound for Stockholm, the family, consisting of Hank’s mother (pregnant with Hank’s younger brother Hain), older brother and sister, and Hank, were taken by the German forces and transported to Germany for labor in work camps. Hank relayed that everything they owned was on their backs, and even at his young age, Hank had a pack. Hank’s father stayed behind to be part of a resistance effort but ultimately rejoined the family in Germany. After WWII, the family was relocated to the United States in upstate New York.

After graduating from high school, Hank attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he received a bachelor’s in physics. At that time Hank was accepted to the United States’ program to conduct research in Antarctica. While there, he spent 14 months with 15 others at the South Pole. Hank loved to recount his many amazing experiences there, and a mountain in Antarctica was named after him. He also made friends worldwide while there whom he contacted via short-wave radio. He was able to visit several of them afterward.

After his Antarctica experience, Hank returned home and attended the University of Arizona, where he received his Ph.D. in Physics. Hank performed technical work in the Tucson, Arizona, area and then came

to Los Alamos to work at LANL in 1981, where he became part of the LASER Fusion program. In 1984, Hank moved to M-6, where he participated in the high explosive pulsed power program, fielding a variety of plasma diagnostics and performing design calculations. When the memorandum of understanding between LANL and VNIIEF (the Russian equivalent of LANL) was signed in 1992, Hank participated in the joint U.S./Russian experiments and traveled to Sarov several times. After one of those trips, Hank returned to the U.S. through Estonia to finally see the country of his birth.

Hank loved nature and trekked extensively throughout the desert Southwest. He also enjoyed making the many friends he had in Que Pasa and reveled in cooking steaks, potatoes, and beans for social gatherings at his house.

Hank retired from the lab during the most recent incentive program but retained his clearance for several years as he continued to support the LANL explosive pulsed power effort. He is survived by his brother Hain and sister-in-law Norma, who live in White Rock, and two nieces, Heather Reddout of Plainsfield, Illinois, and Heidy Oona of Albuquerque.

A visitation will take place on Thursday, January 9th at 3 pm at Rivera Funeral Home in Espanola, NM, 305 Calle Salazar. To leave messages and storied for Hank’s family to cherish, please visit www.riverafuneralhome.com