Obituary of Donald Clyde Otto

Donald Clyde Otto April 28, 1929 - June 19, 2012 Donald, 83, passed away on June 19, 2012 in Tacoma, WA. Donald had been a resident of Federal Way, WA for the last 3 years. He was born April 28, 1929 in Garden City, Kansas to Herbert Warren and Bertha Belle (Baker) Otto. Don attended Atascadero Union High School, Atascadero, CA (1942-1945) and Paso Robles Union High School, Paso Robles, CA (1945-1946). He studied Electrical Engineering at San Mateo Junior College, San Mateo, CA (1951-1953); calculus and physics at Foothill Junior College, Mountain View, CA (1959-1960); and the U.S. Navy Electronics School in Corpus Christi, TX. Don served in the U.S. Navy from May 1946 to March 1948; as an Aviation Electronics Tech; and the U.S. Navy Reserve from June 1948 to April 1951. He served at NTS, San Diego, CA; NAS, Mustin Field, Philadelphia, PA; Receiving Station, Naval Base, Philadelphia, PA; and NAS Oakland, CA. Following military duty, Don was an Electrical Engineer and worked at several jobs. He was a Field Engineer with RCA; assigned first to the 42nd FIS at O'Hare in Chicago and then as the Site Engineer at the AC&W radar site in Osceola, WI. He had a job at Magnavox working with the Navy on Fire Control Radar systems in fighter aircraft at Moffett Field. Then he took a job with Ryan Electronics in San Diego working with the Navy on their Doppler Navigation equipment. After that, Don worked for Hycon Mfg. Co. in Monrovia on high speed aerial cameras with the Air Force, moving to Udorn, Thailand with this company during the Vietnam War. He worked in Seattle as an electronics design engineer, and at Eldec as a senior project engineer. He retired in 1993. On February 11, 1985, Don married Betty S. (Bailey) Otto at the Hollyhills Community Center in Bothell, WA. Don has lived in several places including Kansas, California, Pennsylvania, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, Wisconsin, Washington, D.C., South Carolina, Indiana, Florida, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Japan, France, and Thailand. Don earned his pilot's license and loved to fly. He also enjoyed golf, sailboat racing, hunting, camping, hiking and climbing (including an attempt to summit Mt. Rainier), scuba diving, traveling, square dancing, playing his guitar, gardening, and watching football. He was an amateur (but very good) cook. He loved dogs and owned many champion dogs in his lifetime (including Labrador Retrievers, Shetland Sheepdogs, and Irish Wolfhounds). Dad will always be remembered for his sense of humor and infectious laugh (he loved a good joke or pun). He had a way with words and would quote Shakespeare to his kids often (even when they weren't aware it was Shakespeare). He lived his life fully and didn't sweat the small stuff. Some specific anecdotes include the following: TRACK: Dad held the record for running the fastest mile at his high school, this record stood for many years. MUSIC: Dad played trumpet in his high school band. In later years, he would play the guitar each night (usually with two kids on his lap singing along). He loved "good old country music" the best. FAMILY: Dad loved his family deeply. He was stubborn and imperfect, and didn't always show his love in the best way. But, in quiet and reflective moments, he betrayed the deep love he felt for each of his children and grandchildren and other family members. He said that he "thanked God every day" for his family even though he didn't deserve us. He knew he was blessed. A phone call from his dear brother, Bob, always put him in the best mood. They would joke and laugh together as though no time had passed since they were last together. Dad and Bob always mourned the loss of their little sister, Vera. She died of dust pneumonia during the dust bowl of the 1930s before their family moved to California. Dad always loved kids and had a natural ability to entertain them. He always fondly told the story of his daughter, Lori's, first ballet recital. After her dance, she spied Dad standing by the stage and ran to him at full speed and climbed up him like a tree, landing in a huge hug. DOGS: Dad and Betty shared a love for dogs. They bred and raised Irish Wolfhounds for many years. Their dogs were a source of great joy and comfort to them both. CAMPING: Dad loved camping, and would drive out to the coast or mountain to reserve a prime camping spot on a Wednesday evening, then drive back home and bring the family out on Friday to camp for a long weekend (along with the dogs, boat, baseball gear and guitar). When it got dark, we would sing songs around the campfire and roast marshmallows. In the morning, Dad would make a huge pan of "country fried potatoes" and eggs to wake us up. FLYING: He had a lifelong love of airplanes and flying. He would occasionally rent a plane and fly the family to vacation destinations. FAMILY REUNIONS: During the last decade of Dad's life, we routinely got together for Otto family reunions. These were times of joy for all of us. Dad would always make his famous potato salad for these get-togethers. Dad was especially excited for each reunion, and always said how lucky we were to have such a great family! Don is survived by his wife of 27 years, Betty; children Don (Jean), Dick (Jan), Kathy, Sandy, Mary Jo, Wendy (John), and Lori (Tim); his dear brother Robert Otto (Pat) and many nieces and nephews. He leaves behind 12 grandchildren (Donald, Emily, Paul, Jennifer, Robyn, Heather, Megan, Mitch, Samantha, Jack, Tucker & Kiki); and 5 great-grandchildren (Austin, Sammy, William, Oliver and Harper). Don was preceded in death by his parents; his granddaughter, Rachel; siblings Reba Smith, Leta Warner, Marjorie Nail, Dick Roberts, Mildred Taton, and Vera Otto. Please leave memories of Don or condolences for his family in the Guestbook below.