William A. Otto

William A. Otto

November 29, 1953 – June 11, 2019

The family will receive friends on Saturday, June 15th from 10am to 11am at the West Center Chapel, followed by SERVICES at 11am.  Memorials are suggested to Head for the Cure and Heron Haven.

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William Alan Otto was born and raised in Havre, Montana.  He had many aliases—Bill, Billy, Deetz and Mr. Boo Boo.

He developed his love for the great outdoors and all living (or dead) creatures at a young age.  He was a wildlife biologist who worked for the Corp of Engineers for 35 years, retiring in 2018.

As a little boy, adults would ask him what he wanted to be when he grew up.  Little boys usually say, “I want to be a police officer, fireman or doctor.”  In a matter of fact voice, Bill would look up and say, “a paleontologist”.  Most people would have to look it up as they had no idea what it was.  For Bill, this was a lifelong passion.

Bill was also very resourceful, even at a young age.  As a child, he watched the men in church pass the offering basket and thought that was a great idea to increase his savings.  When company would come over, he would pass either his little green beret or fedora around to collect any spare change family friends would have in their pockets.

Bill loved all creatures large and small.  When Cheryl and Bill were first married and a spider came to visit their kitchen, Cheryl went to smash it and he said, “spiders are our friends” and freed it.  From then on in, that’s what their household did. He also instilled in his grandsons never to be afraid of “interesting creatures.”  In fact, each time they found some bugs or creepy crawlies, they sent a picture to Deetz to identify for them.

Bill truly enjoyed spending time with his sons Chris and Hans. His camping trips and arrowhead hunts with them while they were children lead to yearly camping trips as adults. He cherished these times and loved his boys dearly.

Bill’s gentle, loving spirit will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Muriel Otto; his sister, Patty Otto and his brother, Art Otto.  He is survived by wife, Cheryl Krieger; children Chris Otto (Lindsay), Hans Otto, Andy Krieger (Katie), and Kristi Krieger (Travis Smith); grandchildren: Frank, Pete, Gary, and Haaken; sister, Barbara Larson (Tom Gatz).

We invite you to join us for a reception and celebration of Bill’s life and to share your stories in the reception hall immediately following the service.

 

12 Comments

  • Sheila Muhleka Posted June 11, 2019 8:05 pm

    Cheryl, you are in my thoughts and prayers!

  • Judy Carlson towns Posted June 12, 2019 9:37 am

    Sending you hugs and lots of love. So very sorry cheryl

  • Gail Nabity Posted June 12, 2019 1:26 pm

    Billy was so loved. I have so many great memories of fun times and all of his generosity to me. I send you and all the family my love. I pray that you are comforted knowing how loved Billy is and that so many friends and family are surrounding you in your grief. Much love sis!

  • Novozymes Posted June 12, 2019 1:43 pm

    Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
    Your Novozymes family.

  • Jim Laney Posted June 12, 2019 5:04 pm

    You will be missed ,a joy to work with and a Joy to be with, my prayers & thoughts are with Cheryl and the family.

  • Patricia Longacre Posted June 12, 2019 6:11 pm

    I am so thankful for the years that I have known Bill thru Cheryl. They were so lucky to have found each other. They were the best of friends and the greatest married couple. Bill’s kind nature was evident in all he did. Cheryl- you and Bill had something so special. You were so good to him always and there for him thru this hard last year. Bill loves his sins and your children as well. Those grandsons were so lucky to have Deetzia!! Prayers for all of you!

  • Linda. and Rick Milner Posted June 12, 2019 10:38 pm

    Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this time .????

  • gloria garber Posted June 14, 2019 7:36 am

    Hans and Chris and family —my sympathy and prayers to you all. Bill was a special guy. Treasure your memories! Hugs to you both.

  • Stan Tracey Posted June 14, 2019 7:51 am

    This comes as such a shock to me that I can’t think of anything especially profound to say. Although we did not see each other much in recent years, Bill was a good friend, especially when we were both living in Bismarck, North Dakota. So many good memories and, maybe more importantly, no bad memories. What a good man. My sincere condolences to all his family.

  • Laurie Barrett Posted June 14, 2019 4:16 pm

    Cheryl, I am very sorry for your loss. May your memories sustain you now. You and Billy had many happy years together, I will never forget the tender loving care and support you gave him during his illness. You were a blessing to him and for your family and friends.

  • Samantha Shue (Nicholson) Posted June 14, 2019 5:55 pm

    Hans & Chris – my thoughts and prayers are with you both during this time. I’m so sorry to hear of his passing.
    Love – Sam

  • Mary Frey Posted June 14, 2019 9:07 pm

    My heart is very heavy, he not only was a wonderful man but a huge part in my son’s life. My thoughts and prayers are with you and yours.

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