Obituary of Lois Marie Otte

Funeral services for Lois Marie Otte, mother of Jane Ford, 96, of Spirit Lake and formerly of Clarinda, Iowa, will be 9:30 am, Monday, May 23, 2016 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Spirit Lake. Interment will be 3:30 pm Monday at Clarinda Municipal Cemetery in Clarinda. Lois leaves a legacy of Hope, Faith, and Love to her children and grandchildren. As a woman of devout faith, and a wife of over 65 years, she leaned on Hope, Faith, and Love through many hard times, and rejoiced in it during the good. Lois Marie Louise Otte, the daughter of Eli and Elizabeth (Bauer) Harms, was born April 30, 1920 in Nodaway Township in Yorktown, Iowa. She was baptized, confirmed and eventually married at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Yorktown, Iowa. Lois was married to Glenn "Wayne" Otte on January 15, 1947. Their marriage was blessed with two children, Jane Ann and Glenn Wayne, Jr. Lois loved to share the story of Jesus love, whether it be to children or grandchildren beside her on the piano bench singing her favorite hymns, or to strangers who knocked on her door. She organized and taught a Sunday School Class for residents of the Page County Home, nearly a dozen adults with special needs. Her loving and caring nature was also expressed through her co-founding of a "cooking/homemaking" class for many patients, who after long stays at the Clarinda Mental Health Institute (and because of new drugs) were able to assimilate back into their communities but needed to re-learn those skills. She was a terrific seamstress and made many of her own patterns. Lois loved music and along with Wayne she enjoyed singing for many years in the St. John Choir. The two of them loved attending country music performances and were "regulars" at many venues. Family was central to Lois and she fostered the relationships and friendships of all her grandchildren by hosting them together for fun and adventurous visits together on the farm. Besides being an active farm wife, with all the chores that entails, plus planting and harvesting of a large garden, Lois enjoyed working in several other careers. She worked in retail and she was known by many as their friendly Avon Lady. Lois's true calling, however, was that of a caregiver. She would have loved to have been a nurse. Having started at the age of ten, caring for an elderly neighbor woman to her loving care of nursing home residents while working as an aide, her love and concern for the people with special needs was evident throughout her life. She was also blessed by that same care and concern from Dr. Olson and other doctors and staff of the Spirit Lake Medical Center, the staff of Lakes Regional Healthcare including their hospice group, and especially given to her by the staff at the Hawkeye Care Center in Spirit Lake. Lois was lovingly known as "Blue Eyes" or "Loi". Perhaps Lois's most endeared God given gift was her ability to make people smile and laugh. Lois passed away May 19, 2016 at the Hawkeye Care Center in Spirit Lake at ninety-six years of age. Lois was preceded in death by her husband, "Wayne"; her son, Glenn; her parents, Eli and Elizabeth Harms; brothers, Edward, Walter and Arthur; sisters, Mildred and Wilma; and many beloved brothers and sisters-in-law. She is survived by one daughter, Jane (Dr. Brian) Ford; daughter-in-law, Elaine Otte (Glenn); brother, Dale and his wife, JoAnn; one brother-in-law, Orville Sjoberg; five grandchildren along with their spouses; and eight great-grandchildren.