Herman M Von Ohlen

Herman Michael Von Ohlen, 74, of Hot Springs Village, passed away peacefully on September 6th, 2019.
Herman was born on Oct 23rd, 1944 in Chicago, IL. His original birthname was Michael. But after hearing the courageous stories about his Uncle Herman, an army fighter pilot, he asked his mother if he could change his name. Though he was only a young boy, she agreed. Herman later joked that he would have saved himself some teasing had he not chosen this more unusual name, but he wore it with pride all his life.
He graduated from East Aurora Highschool in 1963 and developed a passion for cars. He spent long days customizing hot rods that led to late nights showing them off and testing their engines out on country roads. This passion led him to possessing some of the most iconic vehicles of the era, including a 1958 Chevy. It also led him to possessing an impressive amount of speeding tickets.
Having made his mark on land, he decided to try his hand at sea and joined the Navy in 1966.
He spent the majority of his military career serving in the Mediterranean, making stops in Spain, Italy and France. He described this period of his life as one filled with adventure, growth and camaraderie. Throughout his life, he was a proud of his service and carried a deep respect for Veterans.
After an honorable discharge, Herman settled in Montgomery, IL, and started a long career at Western Electric, later to become AT&T.
He had his only son, Adam in 1974.
The early 1980’s brought a more difficult time in his life. Herman went through a divorce and struggled to navigate life as a single father. As it often happens, at a time when love was far from his mind, he agreed to a blind date with a woman from work who he had oddly never met. This woman’s name was La-Vedna. As she describes it, she had low expectations of the date as well. She even wore jeans with paint splatters on them. But love ignited. And it began a period of happiness that lasted for the rest of Herman’s life.
His marriage to La-Vedna in 1981 came with two daughters, Dee and Karrie. Now, as one unit, they lived out the next two decades as a happy family.
Herman was blessed with incredible artistic gifts. He created amazing sketches, carvings, and stained-glass pieces. He happily made art for friends and family, and his stained-glass work was sold professionally and can still be found in churches.
In 2012 he floated the idea of moving to Hot Springs Village to his wife. To his surprise, her immediate response was “when do we leave?” Though nervous at first, moving to the Village came to be one of the best decisions he would ever make.
Later in life, he developed a passion for golf—a passion that fully blossomed among the beautiful courses in the Village.
Herman’s final years were his best years. He shared a peaceful, happy home with his wife. His days were filled with golf, bowling and laughter with a great group of friends. His kids filled him with pride, and he loved having his grandchildren visit.
If a man’s richness in life is measured in happiness, then he left this world full of wealth.
He will forever be in our hearts, and remembered for his strength, creativity, and his unwavering love and devotion to his family.
He is survived by his wife La-Vedna, son Adam, daughters Dee and Karrie, son-in-law Johnny, daughter-in-law Sinthia, and grandchildren Joey, Taryn, Ian and Mila.