Fred H. Otte

1925 - 2016

Fred H. Otte

Poughkeepsie - Beloved husband, father and grandfather, Fred Helmut Otte of Poughkeepsie, NY , died peacefully at his home on Friday, June 17, 2016, at the age of 91, after a 9 year battle with cancer.

He was born Ernst Friedrich Folke Helmut Otte, on January 21, 1925 in Norrköping, Sweden to Carlheinz and Erna (Mireau) Otte. He was 6 years old when his father died, and his family moved to live with maternal grandparents in Vienna, Austria, where he grew up. After surviving the war as a teenage boy, he obtained bachelor's degree in Business from the University of Vienna. Upon completion of a compulsory year of military service in the Royal Swedish Army, he emigrated to America on Labor Day, 1949. In 1950, he married Dorothy Hill of Reading, PA. They had 7 children.

Working at various jobs in Reading, he continued his education and obtained a diploma for Highway Engineering from the Scranton Correspondence School. From 1958 to 1963, he was employed by the Minnesota Highway Department in St. Paul, MN, as one of Minnesota's first computer programmers. Beginning in 1963 until his retirement in 1987, he was employed by IBM Poughkeepsie as a Senior Computer Programmer.

Very active in his retirement, Fred was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church, the Steuben Society of America, Germania and numerous camera and hiking clubs. For a number of years, he served as president of the Horseshoe Trail Hiking Club in Pennsylvania. He also worked as a tour guide for several American and German-American travel agencies. He was a volunteer at the Samuel F.B. Morse home in Poughkeepsie, as well as a cartographer for the State of NY. An avid amateur photographer and lover of nature, he liked to swim and ride his bicycle. He instilled in his children and grandchildren his love for travel and the outdoors by taking them on many trips, including to the Adirondacks for camping, canoeing, hiking and mountain climbing, as well as a coast to coast automobile trip. He and his wife, Dorothy, enjoyed several cruises and trips to Europe. Two of his favorite destinations were hiking in the Austrian Alps with his sister Hilla (surviving) and taking long walks on the beaches of Venice, FL. In his final years, he worked extensively writing his memories, as well as documenting both his, as well as his wife's, family history.

Fred is survived by his loving wife of 66 years, Dorothy, of Poughkeepsie, his daughters Monica Otte DeMarco, of Maryland, Janet O'Rourke of Texas, Linda Broulik of Florida, Rosemary Lundy of North Carolina, and his sons William of North Carolina and Richard, of Poughkeepsie as well as 12 grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister, Hilla Löwing of Sweden. He joins in heaven, his son Peter Eric Otte, who passed away in 2011.

Calling hours will be Thursday June 23, 2016 at 4pm-6pm at St John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 55 Wilbur Blvd Poughkeepsie, NY 12603 followed by a memorial service at 6pm. In lieu of Flowers, Memorial Donations may be made to St John's. Burial will be at the convenience of the Family. Arrangements are under the direction of the William G. Miller & Son Funeral Home, 371 Hooker Ave., Poughkeepsie, NY 12603. To send online condolences, please visit our website at www.wmgmillerfuneralhome.com