Mollie Oto

1934 - 2022

Mollie Oto
March 26, 1934 - January 2, 2022
Sacramento, California - Mollie Oto, the co-founder of Oto's Marketplace and woman behind the freshly made bento boxes, passed away peacefully at age 87 on January 2, 2022.
Mollie was part of a large family who loved to cook! Mollie's passion for cooking was introduced to the business, Oto's Japan Foods in 1985 when she started making fresh from scratch maki and inari sushi and bento lunch boxes, using a two burner portable gas stove and rotisserie oven. Due to the limitation of her makeshift kitchen, she with her sister, Gladys and friend Grace, were only able to make a few dozen bento's a day, which sold out before they were made. In 2007, when the store moved and opened as Oto's Marketplace – Mollie designed a full-size kitchen, which she thought would be ample room to expand her bento offering. Today, the kitchen makes well over 10 times the amount and they are still sold out before they finish making. Mollie's daughter has been her co-pilot for over 30 years and together with her dedicated long time kitchen team, will continue to carry on Mollie's legacy.
In between cooking and prepping for the next day, Mollie was dedicated and actively involved in the Buddhist Church of Sacramento, where she served on their Board in 1978 as the first female board member, a Sunday school teacher for over 20 years in Stockton and Sacramento, the bazaar pastry booth chairman, where she created and co-chaired the fresh made from scratch manju and anpan kitchen and served on the Sacramento Buddhist Woman's Association Board of Trustees from 1993 until her passing.
At a sweet 5'1 and 90 pounds, Mollie was a tiny woman with a strong and tough presence – her long workdays and volunteer work with the church was one that very few can keep up with. She never considered her work at Oto's or volunteer time as work, she enjoyed it with a passion and it was her purpose of serving others, which kept her going each day. Anyone that met Mollie loved and respected her and she will be deeply missed by many.
Mollie is preceded in death by husband Ted. She is survived by her children, Russell (Janet), Michael (Karen), Cheryl (Ian) and Florence (Stan), 6 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. The family held a private memorial service at the Buddhist Church of Sacramento.