Romelda "Mel" P. Condon

A strong and joyful life that spanned 87 years from the Oregon Coast to the shores of Green Lake, “from glen to glen and down the mountain side”, culminated in a triumphant send off after a wonderful family celebration and a lemon popsicle.

Romelda (Mel) Pearl Mooney was born in a small log cabin on Gale Hooley Mountain near Hood River, Oregon to Opal Glessy Farris, a housewife from Oklahoma, and Lane Augustus Mooney, an Irish farmer from Muleshoe, Texas. Mel enjoyed two birthdays: the one listed on her official birth records by the delivery doctor making mountain cabin calls, and the one her mother, Opal, insisted was accurate.

Mel grew up in the Hood River area. She was the fastest runner in her school, a fearless tree climber, and a big fan of double features at Hood River’s two cinema houses. At a young age, she married a local musician named Tommy Gatewood and gave birth to their daughter, Leta Karlene Gatewood. Mel and Tommy parted ways a few years later, and Mel moved with Karlene to Portland, Oregon for a fresh start. Mel was a smart, beautiful, and hard working single mom. She picked apples and cherries in family orchards and worked in canning factories. She was a skilled telephone operator, department store clerk, cocktail waitress and bartender.

In Portland, Mel met her future husband, Jay Condon, who was stationed nearby in the National Guard in the early 1960s. She followed her heart to Jay’s hometown of Ripon, Wisconsin and they married in January 1966. Together, Mel and Jay ran the Waupun Hotel and its restaurant before moving to Green Lake, Wisconsin to raise their children Karlene, Kelly, and Patrick. Mel worked at Norton’s and Carver’s in Green Lake before retiring and lovingly taking on caregiver and hospice responsibilities for aging relatives in their final days. 

Mel loved to travel, take cruises and visit her West Coast family and dearest old friends. A gourmand and insatiable reader of cookbooks, Mel loved to try new recipes, cook in her cozy kitchen, and entertain family and friends. While many favorite dishes rose to the top of "Mel's Diner” menus (tamale pie, duck l'orange, potato corn chowder, Opal’s fresh apple cake, and bread pudding), her family—and especially the grandkids—agree that her Indian curry topped the list. It was served with “FUN, FUN, FUN!” at a festive table with endless condiments, laughter, and joy. In later years, Mel enjoyed the view of Green Lake from her favorite chair, visiting with beloved family, neighbors and friends on her porch, and taking cocktail boat cruises with family.

Mel was a take-charge doer and problem solver. She was a natural engineer and could easily rewire a lamp, build furniture, and troubleshoot a computer. She was fearless, grounded, grateful, and guided by a strong moral compass. She had a zeal for decorating and an exceptional eye for color – her favorite of which was teal, not to be confused with sea foam, cyan, turquoise, or aqua. 

At 85, her last big “bucket list” adventure was a National Geographic cruise of Alaska’s Inside Passage with family and her amazing caregiver, Anita Hilt. 

Mel was preceded in death by her husband, James Neil Condon; her parents, Opal and Lane Mooney; her brothers, Aubrey and Calvin Mooney; her sisters, Billie Jo Furman and Leta Klare; and her granddaughter, Brooke Blanchette. Mel is survived by her children, Leta Karlene Janes, Kelly Moureen Condon (Jim Hoy), and Patrick Casey Condon (Lisa Gonzalez); her grandchildren, Melissa Butters, Alisha Blanchette (Stephen Zeitler), Peyton Janes, April Clark (Kirk Clark), Lila Hoy, Jameson Hoy, Donald Condon and Alexander Condon; her great grandchildren, Moriah Butters, Ashley Butters, Shayla Butters, Kaya Sosa (Sergio Sosa), Quinn Elko, Skyler Janes, Marzia Janes and Miles Clark; and great, great grandsons, Julian and Sebastian Sosa. 

Please join family and friends in raising a glass to Mel on Friday, August 2, 2024, 3:00 pm – 5:30 pm at the Heidel House Oakwood Restaurant, 653 Illinois Avenue, Green Lake, WI. Inurnment will take place at St. Patrick Catholic Cemetery, in Ripon at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Saint Jude’s Hospital at 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN, in her name.