Harlan "Butch" George Otto

Harlan “Butch” G. Otto, age 95, of Redwood Falls passed away on Wednesday, October 10, 2012 at the Good Samaritan-Sunwood Care Center in Redwood Falls. A Memorial Service will be held at 1:00 PM on Sunday, October 14, 2012 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Redwood Falls with visitation one hour prior to the service. Military honors will be provided by the Redwood Falls American Legion Honor Guard. A private family burial will take place at a later date. A luncheon will be held immediately following the service at the American Legion in Redwood Falls. Online condolences may be placed at www.sunsetfuneralassociation.com. The Sunset Funeral & Cremation Association of Echo & Wabasso are handling the arrangements for the family. Harlan George “Butch” Otto passed away peacefully on October 10, 2012, surrounded by family, at the Good Samaritan - Sunwood Care Center in Redwood Falls at the age of 95. Butch was born on August 16, 1917, to George and Mary (Stern) Otto in Redwood Falls, Minnesota. He was baptized and confirmed in the Christian faith and was a life-long member of St. John’s Lutheran Church. He graduated from the Redwood Falls High School in 1934. On January 6, 1941, Butch’s National Guard unit was called to active duty service. He trained in California, and spent the first few years of World War II in Kodiak, Alaska before finishing his service in Chicago. Upon his honorable discharge in 1945, Butch returned to Redwood Falls. On February 10, 1948, Butch was united in marriage to Dolores Wagner in Seaforth, Minnesota. After marriage, they made their home in Redwood Falls before moving to St. Cloud for a short period of time, where he attended St. Cloud State University. Butch spent his working life in Redwood Falls at the US Post Office, the Otto Dairy, and retired from the Redwood County Sherriff’s Office in 1978. Butch belonged to the VFW, the Military Order of Cooties, the American Legion, the DAV, and the National Association of Retired Federal Employees. For many years he volunteered at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center and drove the Redwood County Veterans van. He was honored with the VFW Post Service Officer Award in 1986/87 and recognized as the Outstanding Senior Citizen of Redwood County in 2007. Butch enjoyed fishing, boating, camping, hunting, playing cards, and traveling worldwide. He most enjoyed nurturing the relationships he had with family and friends, creating memories and touching the lives of many with his warm smile and generous heart. Butch is survived by his best friend and companion, Juanita Horn; six children, Mary (Mike) Norris of Mankato, MN, Kathy (Dan) Dugan of Wilmington, DE, George (Janthima) Otto of Bloomington, MN, Muriel (Ralph) Steinhauer of Redwood Falls, MN, Judy Diehl of Morris, MN and Tim (Joy) Otto of Amsterdam, the Netherlands; two sisters, Charlotte Barker of Denver, CO and Theresa (Bob) Sanders of Orange, CA; twelve grandchildren, Michelle Henry, Celeste (Joel) Hanel, Kristin (Rob) Poppiti, Micah Otto, Ben, Beau, Bume and Belle Sinchai, Paige (Eric) Fornia, Jayna Gerlach, Jesse (Shelley) Diehl and Melinda (Francois) Neville; fourteen great-grandchildren and many nieces, nephews and extended family. His parents, wife Dolores, one brother, Stanley, two sisters, Muriel Otto and Betty Cook preceded him in death. Blessed be the memory of Butch.