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Loren Otto
In Memory of
Loren Henry
Otto
1938 - 2015
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Obituary for Loren Henry Otto

Farewell to Loren Otto
Loren H. Otto passed away in the San Luis Valley Medical Center on February 22, following a three-and-a-half year battle with cancer and having just celebrated his 77th birthday on February 11 with a large circle of local friends. Loren was a man of strong faith and beliefs, and he was a stalwart member of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Monte Vista, Colorado, ushering and singing in the choir over the past years.
His greatest personal passion was flying, starting with earlier Navy years as a jet (A-5 Vigilante) navigator during his service on aircraft carriers (Constellation and Coral Sea), but extending into his civilian life with pilot’s licenses for private and commercial flight. He was an air traffic controller for a number of years, and was licensed as an aircraft mechanic. Much of his working life was spent as a Boeing engineer, living near Everett, Washington. He finally retired across the border near Sheridan, Oregon to a tree farm in the middle of the forest – but with enough room for a runway.
Loren loved to design and make things with his hands, early on putting together his own Ham radio equipment and getting an Amateur Radio license in 9th grade. He worked along side of his builder to put up his Oregon house, and constructed two small planes in his own workshop while in the Pacific Northwest. He moved to the high plateau of Colorado’s San Luis Valley five years ago when he located a house and plot of land once again with room for a runway. When diagnosed with cancer (and with a six-to-eighteen-month prognosis), he responded by launching into the construction of a third aircraft especially designed for flight at high elevations. He was close to finishing it at the time of his passing. He attributed his long survival against the odds to his deep faith and the support of his friends and family, who rallied around him during his last years.
Loren was born on a farm near Klinger, Iowa, the second son of Arnold and Norma Otto, but he was not destined to stay there long. He went to a Lutheran boarding school in Seward, Nebraska, and graduated from high school there, thinking of becoming a teacher. Switching gears, he joined the Navy and was trained as an aviation electronics technician. He then secured an NROTC scholarship to do a degree at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he graduated with honors in electrical engineering. In Boulder, he also became an avid mountain climber, and developed a reputation as an excellent cook. Then the Navy took him to the Far East for seven years, where he also was able to develop his love for photography, becoming the editor of the carrier cruise book, and filling it with many of his own shots of Naval life in exotic locations.
Loren never married, although he noted that he came dangerously close on at least two occasions. He maintained his fierce independence to the end, refusing to let an illness take over his life. Some might call it denial, but he called it a firm belief. Loren is survived by five siblings: Nelson Otto, Dennis Otto, Kathryn Behnke, Stanley Otto and Carol Schaffner – and his two dogs, Akira and Bear, who he put up for adoption when he realized he could no longer take care of them. Contributions in his memory may be made to St. Peter’s Church & School, 1821 Grande Avenue, Monte Vista, Colorado 81144-1622. A memorial service will be held in Monte Vista in the May-June timeframe.
Cremation was selected and a Memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday July 15, 2015 at St. Peters Lutheran Church in Monte Vista. The committal service will be held at 1:00 p.m. at the Colorado State Veterans Center Cemetery with Military Honors.

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