Otto Hans Soeding

Otto Hans Soeding died peacefully on May 6, 2025 at the age of 84. Otto was a long-time resident of Birmingham, Michigan. He was born September 7, 1940 to Otto and Hildegard Soeding, in Osnabrück, Germany.
Otto was the beloved husband of the late Erika, loving father of Ingo (Mary) and Joris (Christa), devoted grandfather of Fintan, Blake, and Victoria, and dear brother of Gisela Vogelhaupt (Roland) and the late Christel Rahe (late Günther).
Otto was raised in the difficult backdrop and aftermath of WWII Germany, where he enjoyed playing outside as a child, being a server at Sunday masses, and occasionally traveling to the countryside on business with his father. His lifelong passion for cars led him to pursue an apprenticeship in sheet metal work and a university degree in Automotive Engineering in Hamburg, Germany. Otto met Erika on July 1, 1961, at a dance in the Jenfeld quarter of Hamburg. They were married on May 28, 1965 among a small group of friends and family.
Otto's automotive career started at Porsche in Stuttgart, where he was part of the team that designed the first 911. After getting married, he took a job at Opel Design in Rüsselsheim, Germany, where their son Ingo was born. The family emigrated to Chicago in late 1967 in pursuit of new adventures. After working at North Shore Auto Rebuilders, in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago for several months, the family drove to Detroit during a snowstorm in March of 1968, where Otto started a new job at General Motors Design at the GM Tech Center in Warren, Michigan.
He enjoyed a long career with GM, participating in many exciting projects. He was part of the design teams that created the mid-engine Corvette concept car in the 1970s and that worked with Italian designer Pininfarina on the Cadillac Allanté project in the 1980s. He also worked on other Cadillac programs and the latest version of the Corvette. Eventually Otto managed the color and trim studio and the design verification center for all General Motors automobiles, leading a team of over 200 employees.
For twenty-five years, Otto and Erika resided in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where they raised Ingo and Joris. They also enjoyed spending time at their vacation homes in Harbor Springs, Michigan and Siesta Key, Florida. Otto joined the Knights of Columbus in Florida and Michigan, and became a fourth-degree Knight. Otto and Erika were longtime parishioners at the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica, in Royal Oak. They joined several initiatives and formed lifelong friendships at Shrine. In recent years, Otto's favorite weekday activities were attending the children's mass on Tuesday mornings and joining his fellow GM Design retirees at The Avenue Family Restaurant for breakfast on Wednesdays. He took great pride in his three grandchildren.
Family will receive friends Monday, May 19, 4-8 p.m., with vigil service at 6 p.m., at A.J. Desmond and Sons (Vasu, Rodgers, & Connell Chapel), 32515 Woodward (between 13 and 14 Mile Road), Royal Oak, 248-549-0500. Funeral mass is on Tuesday, May 20, 10:30 a.m. at National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica, 2100 12 Mile Rd, Royal Oak. Visiting at church begins at 10 a.m. Burial following at Greenwood Cemetery, Birmingham.
Memorial tributes to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital are greatly appreciated.