John Otto

John Otto, age 72, of Wheaton, Minnesota passed away Wednesday, July 22, 2015 at Sanford Hospital in Fargo, North Dakota. Funeral Services will be held Saturday, July 25, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Wheaton with Pastor David Strom officiating. Organist will be Leann Bjornson with special music provided by Paul and Diane Bartnick. Visitation will be held Saturday from 11:00 a.m. until service time at 2:00 p.m. at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. Burial will be in Wildwood Cemetery, Wheaton. Military Rites will be conducted by the Merton-Dale American Legion Post #80. John Michael Otto was born on March 7, 1943 in Wheaton, MN to John Albert Otto and Kathryn "Mardelle" (Bohnenstingl) Otto. John graduated from Wheaton High School in 1961. He enlisted in the National Guard and worked with his dad, John A, on the family milk route. It was there, on the Nelson Farm, that John met the love of his life, Judy Ann Nelson. They married on July 10, 1964 in Clinton, MN and made their home in Wheaton. John worked out of the garage of their home doing mechanic repairs at night and delivering milk during the day. When his dad chose to end the milk route and become a milk inspector, John went to work at Larsons Incorporated, starting as a mechanic and later becoming the Service Manager. When the dealership shut down, John then opened his own repair shop, "John's Repair" just off Main Street in Wheaton. It seemed there wasn't anything that John could not or would not fix. He would work late into the night or out in the middle of a field if the job called for it. If you needed help of any kind John would take the time needed to get you on your way. John and Judy raised three children: Michael Ray (Annette) Otto of Glenwood, MN; Michelle Lynn (Steve) Skoblik of Moorhead, MN and John Gary (Kari) Otto of Wheaton. As a family they would tear down old houses, granaries or sheds, and from the wood they salvaged they built onto their house. In 2010 John and his family decided it was time to rebuild the family cabin on Lake Traverse. The project started after the 4th of July, and with great determination and a lot of hard work a new cabin was built and moved into less than one year later. John wanted a place for family and friends to come and enjoy. John retired in 2010, but like many retirees he still liked to go down to the shop and tinker. He started a few "fun" projects and things he had always wanted to do. Another fun thing that John enjoyed was dancing, and after surgery he felt like a kid again. His knees felt so good he grabbed his wife Judy and they went dancing as often as they could. They followed a couple of fun bands that played songs from the 50's, and they would dance as many songs as they could. John also loved to cook. When Judy started nursing school, John took on the role of full time cook so that Judy could continue to work and study for her classes. He picked up several cooking tips from his mom, Mardelle. A little bit of this and a little bit of that. No recipe could ever be repeated because he loved to experiment and to no surprise, it was always very good. John was also a hunter. He and his son and son-in-law spent some time hunting with the Nelsons. It was a time to be with family and to get to shoot something. John has seven very special grandkids that made him proud. Austin Otto (works as a Masonery), Brandi Otto (Attending Mayo School in Rochester for Radiography), Sebastian Skoblik (attending NDSU for Statistics and is a skater and works at McDonald's), Isabella Skoblik (Junior in high school and teaches Dance and Skating), Madison Otto (Sophomore in high school, babysitting), Kaitlyn Otto (7th grade, piano) and Aidyn Otto (3rd grade, loves building and reading). John is survived by his wife Judy; children: Michael Ray (Annette) Otto of Glenwood, MN; Michelle Lynn (Steve) Skoblik of Moorhead, MN and John Gary (Kari) Otto of Wheaton; seven grandchildren; brothers: James Otto of Wheaton; Don (Karen) Otto of Wheaton; and Charles Otto of Moorhead, MN; sisters: Deborah (Dan) Dunham of Minneapolis, MN and Pamela Thompson of Minneapolis, MN; brothers-in-law: Douglas (Karen) Nelson and James (Cindy) Nelson; and many nephews and nieces. John was preceded in death by his parents, John A. and Kathryn "Mardelle" Otto; his in-laws Raymond and Edith Nelson; brother Richard Otto; and brother-in-law Charles Thompson.
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Visitation

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

• Saturday, July 25, 2015
• 11:00 AM - 02:00 PM
• Email Details
• 605 10th Street North
  Wheaton, MN 56296

Directions

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Funeral Service

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

• Saturday, July 25, 2015
• 02:00 PM
• Email Details
• 605 10th Street North
  Wheaton, MN 56296

Directions