Lt. Col. William Louis Otten Jr., USAF (Ret)

Obituary

Guest Book

William Otten Obituary

Name: Service for Lt. Col. William Louis Otten Jr., USAF (Ret)
Start: 2017-03-16T16:00:00.000Z
Location: Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery

Published by Porter Loring Mortuary McCullough on Feb. 15, 2017.

William L. Otten, Jr., age 91, passed away on Wednesday, February 15, 2017 in San Antonio. He was born in Easton, PA to parents William L. and Mildred Eugenie (Stofflet) Otten, Sr. In 1943 he graduated from Easton High School and joined the USMC where he served in the 8th Marines, 2nd Marine Division. Following WW II he received a BS degree from Penn State University and LLB degree from Dickinson Law School, Carlisle, PA. William met his wife, Renabelle, at Penn State and she never left his side once they were married. William litigated several trials in the Marine Corps and left as a Captain. After a short time as a lawyer for the Forest Service, William returned to the military serving his country in the USAF. He had postings in the Middle East, Caribbean, and throughout the US. While in the Air Force, William received LLM and Jurist Doctor degrees from Georgetown University Law School. He also became interested in Revolutionary War history and received an MA degree in History from Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, TX. Following his retirement from the Air Force, William taught Criminal Justice at Midwestern State University. Loving early American history, William wrote two books about Colonel J.F. Hamtramck, a Revolutionary War Officer. He enjoyed the outdoors, including hunting, fishing and RVing with Renabelle. William was a member of Masonic Lodge # 1018, Aransas Pass, TX where he became Worshipful Master and Deputy Grand Master in the Grand Lodge of Texas. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Renabelle, in 2009. William is survived by his sons, Matthew (Karyl) and Jeffrey (Tish); grandchildren, Travis (Rachel), Adam (Ana), Katie (Fred) Samuels, Karen (Mark) Landreneau and Nolan; great-grandchildren, Logan and Mateo. GRAVESIDE SERVICE THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017 11:00 AM FORT SAM HOUSTON NATIONAL CEMETERY 1520 HARRY WURZBACH In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Army Residence Community Protestant Chapel Fund, 7400 Crestway Dr., San Antonio, TX 78239.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Sign William Otten's Guest Book

Not sure what to say?

Recent Activity

February 3, 2018

Arlene Deemer posted to the memorial.

March 3, 2017

Donald Tufte posted to the memorial.

February 28, 2017

Nancy and Ed Mueller posted to the memorial.

4 Entries

Arlene Deemer

February 3, 2018

My thoughts and prayers go out to your beloved family. Bill and Renabelle were such good friends to us. I will truly miss you. Arlene Deemer Easton, PA

Donald Tufte

March 3, 2017

As a winter Texan I got to know Bill. I would join him for a walk on the beach several years. Then we go to Wataburger for coffee and join a large group to solve the world problems. Bill would get some conservative items from the Wall Street Journal then through them out to get a reaction. He always gave some grapefruit to my wife. These were better than any you could buy in the store. He was a gentleman who loved a good story.

Nancy and Ed Mueller

February 28, 2017

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family. We enjoyed getting to know Bill at the ARC.

Larry Michael Grube

February 24, 2017

My Uncle Bill was a great man. I always loved visiting my Aunt Renabelle and Uncle Bill on our trips to Texas. One time on a Visit when they lived in Wichita Falls, a bad tornado hit. During another visit we went camping in the desert, on the New Mexico border. One evening at dusk, Uncle Bill and I took a walk in the desert. During our trek we saw strange lights in the sky. Uncle Bill said "Larry we just witnessed a UFO". Uncle Bill, being a Lt Col in the Air Force, saying we just saw a UFO, was a moment in my life I will never forget. Rest In Peace Uncle Bill, you were an amazing man, and will be missed.