Gerald Godfrey Otto was born Gerhard Gottfried Otto in La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain on 22 September 1900, the fourth of six children born to Dr. Ernst Otto (1857-1913) and his wife Hilda Margaret Rose Thomas (1869-1952). With his older brother Ernst Reinhard Otto (1899-1961), he was baptized at St. George's (English) Chapel, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 26 February 1901.
Gerhard's parents met in the early 1890s when Hilda Thomas, the Rangoon-born daughter of a British-Indian Army colonel, graduated from finishing school and went to the Canary Islands to visit her uncle's family. There she met Dr. Ernst Otto, a young German doctor (from Peine and Hildesheim) who lived in Tenerife most of the year for his health. Married in 1892 in London, the couple settled in Tenerife where their children were born. In 1908 Mrs. Otto moved most of the children to Germany for their education, and her husband stayed with them in the summers. They lived at 31 Wiesenstrasse, Hannover, where Gerhard and some of his brothers attended the "Bismarckschule." Gerhard learned ice-skating from his uncle Prof. Dr. Rudolf Otto (1869-1937), professor of the philosophy of religion at the Philipps-Universität, Marburg-am-Lahn, Germany, and author of THE IDEA OF THE HOLY.
On 30 January 1913 Gerhard's father Dr. Ernst Otto died of tuberculosis in Tenerife, with Hilda at his side. She saw to his funeral, then went to London to arrange emigration to Canada. Hilda spoke with Lord Strathcona's secretary, who recommended Winnipeg, Manitoba. The family left from Bremen on the North German Lloyd ship MAIN, arriving at Ellis Island 11 April 1913, in transit to Winnipeg. Soon afterwards, World War I erupted. Faced with huge losses in Europe, Canadians reacted against anything and anyone German, so Hilda found it best to "shade" their German surname to "Otter" [after a local general, no relation] by which most of the family are still known. The kids became Canadians; Gerald recalled the French-and-Indian War history he learned in high school almost to the end of his life.
Gerhard (now Gerald) Otto moved with his older brother Rolf to Fort William, Ontario, in 1916 and worked at drafting jobs in the Great Lakes region and Detroit until 1926. On 30 May 1922 the Fort William newspaper reported "the doughty Jerry" Otto's great endurance in lasting three minutes swimming in icy Lake Superior--he and his brothers and friends truly loved weekend outings rowing, hiking, fishing, skating or snowshoeing (depending on the season). In 1923, Gerald and his brother Rolf traveled to Oberlin, Ohio, to hear their uncle Prof. Rudolf Otto's lectures on mysticism, and had a good visit with him. In 1926, shortly after his rowing team took at medal at the Port Arthur (Ontario) Rowing Club, Gerald took the train south to Los Angeles to join his mother and family, making U.S. entry at Port Huron, Michigan, 18 September 1926.
Once in Los Angeles, Gerald joined the Sierra Club about 1928 and enjoyed its many skiing and hiking trips; discovered the writings of John Muir; and began many lifelong friendships. During the Depression he completed his high-school degree and did some college work at night school at USC. During the 1930s and 1940s he also worked at engineering companies such as Western Precipitation, McDonnell Douglas and Blue Diamond; in 1943 he went to work at Fruehauf Corporation. He learned about cameras, developing pictures he took in the mountains with an improvised enlarger made in his garage. During World War II, Gerald and his friends would pool their gas ration coupons to ski at Sun Valley in Idaho. During one of these trips he stood in line for a ski-lift with Clark Gable, who took his turn with everyone else. At times Gerald's friends suggested that, with his good looks and charming manner, he should think about going into the movies, but he was far more interested in hiking and skiing.
In 1952, at an ice-skating evening in Los Angeles, Gerald met Jean Blackman, a New York-born Stanford graduate. They were married on 13 December 1952 and settled in Los Angeles where their two children were born. Transferred by Fruehauf to its new facility in Ontario, California in 1959, Gerald and Jean moved their family there. Gerald retired from Brogdex Corporation of Pomona, California, in 1967. The family explored many parts of the western U.S. and Canada in their 15-foot travel trailer, reaching Montréal during Expo 67 and stopping in to visit surviving friends in Winnipeg and Fort William/Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay, Ontario) along the way. In the late 1960s and early 1970s Gerald was a trustee of his daughter's high school in Claremont, Calif.; supported his son in the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts; and saw them both through college and into careers. He spent his later years quietly but happily--tending the garden, making and repairing things in his garage workshop, and camping with Jean. In his last years Gerald made wherever he was a happier place, simply by being there.
Gerald died at Upland Convalescent Hospital, Upland, San Bernardino, Calif., 21 November 1991. On 29 November 1991, excerpts from John Muir were read for him at his memorial service at the First Presbyterian Church of Upland, where he and Jean had been members for 30 years. A family reunion held in Upland on 24 September 2000 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth brought together his wife, children and grandchildren as well as many nephews, nieces, great-nephews and -nieces (even a great-great-niece or two) to remember his life, his love for Jean, and his warm heart.
Gerald was a man of the greatest nobility of character, with brilliant blue eyes, a friendly smile, and wonderful good cheer, who when he was talking with you could make you feel that you were the most important person in the world. It seemed sometimes that there was nothing mechanical he couldn't fix, and no plant he couldn't at least help to grow. Gerald's mind had a wide grasp--he could start out by describing how special it was to sing "Holy, Holy, Holy" at a High Sierra sunrise service; explain to a six-year old the concept of the Holy Trinity; and then go back to his description of hiking--all in one sentence, which actually made sense. His life was a mirror of the twentieth century's amazing changes: born into a vanished world four months before Queen Victoria's death--and three years before the Wright Brothers' flight--Gerald was out weeding in our back yard on 21 July 1969, as Apollo 11 touched down on the moon. He treasured the stories of his Canary Island childhood, his German and Canadian youth, and his California adventures, passing them on to his children and his nieces and nephews, both for the joy of our company and the pleasure of storytelling, and in hopes that some of what he'd learned might help us make good choices in our turn. His ashes are buried in Lot 279, Deodar Section West, in Bellevue Cemetery, Ontario, in clear view of his beloved mountains.
Gerhard's parents met in the early 1890s when Hilda Thomas, the Rangoon-born daughter of a British-Indian Army colonel, graduated from finishing school and went to the Canary Islands to visit her uncle's family. There she met Dr. Ernst Otto, a young German doctor (from Peine and Hildesheim) who lived in Tenerife most of the year for his health. Married in 1892 in London, the couple settled in Tenerife where their children were born. In 1908 Mrs. Otto moved most of the children to Germany for their education, and her husband stayed with them in the summers. They lived at 31 Wiesenstrasse, Hannover, where Gerhard and some of his brothers attended the "Bismarckschule." Gerhard learned ice-skating from his uncle Prof. Dr. Rudolf Otto (1869-1937), professor of the philosophy of religion at the Philipps-Universität, Marburg-am-Lahn, Germany, and author of THE IDEA OF THE HOLY.
On 30 January 1913 Gerhard's father Dr. Ernst Otto died of tuberculosis in Tenerife, with Hilda at his side. She saw to his funeral, then went to London to arrange emigration to Canada. Hilda spoke with Lord Strathcona's secretary, who recommended Winnipeg, Manitoba. The family left from Bremen on the North German Lloyd ship MAIN, arriving at Ellis Island 11 April 1913, in transit to Winnipeg. Soon afterwards, World War I erupted. Faced with huge losses in Europe, Canadians reacted against anything and anyone German, so Hilda found it best to "shade" their German surname to "Otter" [after a local general, no relation] by which most of the family are still known. The kids became Canadians; Gerald recalled the French-and-Indian War history he learned in high school almost to the end of his life.
Gerhard (now Gerald) Otto moved with his older brother Rolf to Fort William, Ontario, in 1916 and worked at drafting jobs in the Great Lakes region and Detroit until 1926. On 30 May 1922 the Fort William newspaper reported "the doughty Jerry" Otto's great endurance in lasting three minutes swimming in icy Lake Superior--he and his brothers and friends truly loved weekend outings rowing, hiking, fishing, skating or snowshoeing (depending on the season). In 1923, Gerald and his brother Rolf traveled to Oberlin, Ohio, to hear their uncle Prof. Rudolf Otto's lectures on mysticism, and had a good visit with him. In 1926, shortly after his rowing team took at medal at the Port Arthur (Ontario) Rowing Club, Gerald took the train south to Los Angeles to join his mother and family, making U.S. entry at Port Huron, Michigan, 18 September 1926.
Once in Los Angeles, Gerald joined the Sierra Club about 1928 and enjoyed its many skiing and hiking trips; discovered the writings of John Muir; and began many lifelong friendships. During the Depression he completed his high-school degree and did some college work at night school at USC. During the 1930s and 1940s he also worked at engineering companies such as Western Precipitation, McDonnell Douglas and Blue Diamond; in 1943 he went to work at Fruehauf Corporation. He learned about cameras, developing pictures he took in the mountains with an improvised enlarger made in his garage. During World War II, Gerald and his friends would pool their gas ration coupons to ski at Sun Valley in Idaho. During one of these trips he stood in line for a ski-lift with Clark Gable, who took his turn with everyone else. At times Gerald's friends suggested that, with his good looks and charming manner, he should think about going into the movies, but he was far more interested in hiking and skiing.
In 1952, at an ice-skating evening in Los Angeles, Gerald met Jean Blackman, a New York-born Stanford graduate. They were married on 13 December 1952 and settled in Los Angeles where their two children were born. Transferred by Fruehauf to its new facility in Ontario, California in 1959, Gerald and Jean moved their family there. Gerald retired from Brogdex Corporation of Pomona, California, in 1967. The family explored many parts of the western U.S. and Canada in their 15-foot travel trailer, reaching Montréal during Expo 67 and stopping in to visit surviving friends in Winnipeg and Fort William/Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay, Ontario) along the way. In the late 1960s and early 1970s Gerald was a trustee of his daughter's high school in Claremont, Calif.; supported his son in the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts; and saw them both through college and into careers. He spent his later years quietly but happily--tending the garden, making and repairing things in his garage workshop, and camping with Jean. In his last years Gerald made wherever he was a happier place, simply by being there.
Gerald died at Upland Convalescent Hospital, Upland, San Bernardino, Calif., 21 November 1991. On 29 November 1991, excerpts from John Muir were read for him at his memorial service at the First Presbyterian Church of Upland, where he and Jean had been members for 30 years. A family reunion held in Upland on 24 September 2000 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth brought together his wife, children and grandchildren as well as many nephews, nieces, great-nephews and -nieces (even a great-great-niece or two) to remember his life, his love for Jean, and his warm heart.
Gerald was a man of the greatest nobility of character, with brilliant blue eyes, a friendly smile, and wonderful good cheer, who when he was talking with you could make you feel that you were the most important person in the world. It seemed sometimes that there was nothing mechanical he couldn't fix, and no plant he couldn't at least help to grow. Gerald's mind had a wide grasp--he could start out by describing how special it was to sing "Holy, Holy, Holy" at a High Sierra sunrise service; explain to a six-year old the concept of the Holy Trinity; and then go back to his description of hiking--all in one sentence, which actually made sense. His life was a mirror of the twentieth century's amazing changes: born into a vanished world four months before Queen Victoria's death--and three years before the Wright Brothers' flight--Gerald was out weeding in our back yard on 21 July 1969, as Apollo 11 touched down on the moon. He treasured the stories of his Canary Island childhood, his German and Canadian youth, and his California adventures, passing them on to his children and his nieces and nephews, both for the joy of our company and the pleasure of storytelling, and in hopes that some of what he'd learned might help us make good choices in our turn. His ashes are buried in Lot 279, Deodar Section West, in Bellevue Cemetery, Ontario, in clear view of his beloved mountains.
Gerald Godfrey Otto was born Gerhard Gottfried Otto in La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain on 22 September 1900, the fourth of six children born to Dr. Ernst Otto (1857-1913) and his wife Hilda Margaret Rose Thomas (1869-1952). With his older brother Ernst Reinhard Otto (1899-1961), he was baptized at St. George's (English) Chapel, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 26 February 1901.
Gerhard's parents met in the early 1890s when Hilda Thomas, the Rangoon-born daughter of a British-Indian Army colonel, graduated from finishing school and went to the Canary Islands to visit her uncle's family. There she met Dr. Ernst Otto, a young German doctor (from Peine and Hildesheim) who lived in Tenerife most of the year for his health. Married in 1892 in London, the couple settled in Tenerife where their children were born. In 1908 Mrs. Otto moved most of the children to Germany for their education, and her husband stayed with them in the summers. They lived at 31 Wiesenstrasse, Hannover, where Gerhard and some of his brothers attended the "Bismarckschule." Gerhard learned ice-skating from his uncle Prof. Dr. Rudolf Otto (1869-1937), professor of the philosophy of religion at the Philipps-Universität, Marburg-am-Lahn, Germany, and author of THE IDEA OF THE HOLY.
On 30 January 1913 Gerhard's father Dr. Ernst Otto died of tuberculosis in Tenerife, with Hilda at his side. She saw to his funeral, then went to London to arrange emigration to Canada. Hilda spoke with Lord Strathcona's secretary, who recommended Winnipeg, Manitoba. The family left from Bremen on the North German Lloyd ship MAIN, arriving at Ellis Island 11 April 1913, in transit to Winnipeg. Soon afterwards, World War I erupted. Faced with huge losses in Europe, Canadians reacted against anything and anyone German, so Hilda found it best to "shade" their German surname to "Otter" [after a local general, no relation] by which most of the family are still known. The kids became Canadians; Gerald recalled the French-and-Indian War history he learned in high school almost to the end of his life.
Gerhard (now Gerald) Otto moved with his older brother Rolf to Fort William, Ontario, in 1916 and worked at drafting jobs in the Great Lakes region and Detroit until 1926. On 30 May 1922 the Fort William newspaper reported "the doughty Jerry" Otto's great endurance in lasting three minutes swimming in icy Lake Superior--he and his brothers and friends truly loved weekend outings rowing, hiking, fishing, skating or snowshoeing (depending on the season). In 1923, Gerald and his brother Rolf traveled to Oberlin, Ohio, to hear their uncle Prof. Rudolf Otto's lectures on mysticism, and had a good visit with him. In 1926, shortly after his rowing team took at medal at the Port Arthur (Ontario) Rowing Club, Gerald took the train south to Los Angeles to join his mother and family, making U.S. entry at Port Huron, Michigan, 18 September 1926.
Once in Los Angeles, Gerald joined the Sierra Club about 1928 and enjoyed its many skiing and hiking trips; discovered the writings of John Muir; and began many lifelong friendships. During the Depression he completed his high-school degree and did some college work at night school at USC. During the 1930s and 1940s he also worked at engineering companies such as Western Precipitation, McDonnell Douglas and Blue Diamond; in 1943 he went to work at Fruehauf Corporation. He learned about cameras, developing pictures he took in the mountains with an improvised enlarger made in his garage. During World War II, Gerald and his friends would pool their gas ration coupons to ski at Sun Valley in Idaho. During one of these trips he stood in line for a ski-lift with Clark Gable, who took his turn with everyone else. At times Gerald's friends suggested that, with his good looks and charming manner, he should think about going into the movies, but he was far more interested in hiking and skiing.
In 1952, at an ice-skating evening in Los Angeles, Gerald met Jean Blackman, a New York-born Stanford graduate. They were married on 13 December 1952 and settled in Los Angeles where their two children were born. Transferred by Fruehauf to its new facility in Ontario, California in 1959, Gerald and Jean moved their family there. Gerald retired from Brogdex Corporation of Pomona, California, in 1967. The family explored many parts of the western U.S. and Canada in their 15-foot travel trailer, reaching Montréal during Expo 67 and stopping in to visit surviving friends in Winnipeg and Fort William/Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay, Ontario) along the way. In the late 1960s and early 1970s Gerald was a trustee of his daughter's high school in Claremont, Calif.; supported his son in the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts; and saw them both through college and into careers. He spent his later years quietly but happily--tending the garden, making and repairing things in his garage workshop, and camping with Jean. In his last years Gerald made wherever he was a happier place, simply by being there.
Gerald died at Upland Convalescent Hospital, Upland, San Bernardino, Calif., 21 November 1991. On 29 November 1991, excerpts from John Muir were read for him at his memorial service at the First Presbyterian Church of Upland, where he and Jean had been members for 30 years. A family reunion held in Upland on 24 September 2000 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth brought together his wife, children and grandchildren as well as many nephews, nieces, great-nephews and -nieces (even a great-great-niece or two) to remember his life, his love for Jean, and his warm heart.
Gerald was a man of the greatest nobility of character, with brilliant blue eyes, a friendly smile, and wonderful good cheer, who when he was talking with you could make you feel that you were the most important person in the world. It seemed sometimes that there was nothing mechanical he couldn't fix, and no plant he couldn't at least help to grow. Gerald's mind had a wide grasp--he could start out by describing how special it was to sing "Holy, Holy, Holy" at a High Sierra sunrise service; explain to a six-year old the concept of the Holy Trinity; and then go back to his description of hiking--all in one sentence, which actually made sense. His life was a mirror of the twentieth century's amazing changes: born into a vanished world four months before Queen Victoria's death--and three years before the Wright Brothers' flight--Gerald was out weeding in our back yard on 21 July 1969, as Apollo 11 touched down on the moon. He treasured the stories of his Canary Island childhood, his German and Canadian youth, and his California adventures, passing them on to his children and his nieces and nephews, both for the joy of our company and the pleasure of storytelling, and in hopes that some of what he'd learned might help us make good choices in our turn. His ashes are buried in Lot 279, Deodar Section West, in Bellevue Cemetery, Ontario, in clear view of his beloved mountains.
Gerhard's parents met in the early 1890s when Hilda Thomas, the Rangoon-born daughter of a British-Indian Army colonel, graduated from finishing school and went to the Canary Islands to visit her uncle's family. There she met Dr. Ernst Otto, a young German doctor (from Peine and Hildesheim) who lived in Tenerife most of the year for his health. Married in 1892 in London, the couple settled in Tenerife where their children were born. In 1908 Mrs. Otto moved most of the children to Germany for their education, and her husband stayed with them in the summers. They lived at 31 Wiesenstrasse, Hannover, where Gerhard and some of his brothers attended the "Bismarckschule." Gerhard learned ice-skating from his uncle Prof. Dr. Rudolf Otto (1869-1937), professor of the philosophy of religion at the Philipps-Universität, Marburg-am-Lahn, Germany, and author of THE IDEA OF THE HOLY.
On 30 January 1913 Gerhard's father Dr. Ernst Otto died of tuberculosis in Tenerife, with Hilda at his side. She saw to his funeral, then went to London to arrange emigration to Canada. Hilda spoke with Lord Strathcona's secretary, who recommended Winnipeg, Manitoba. The family left from Bremen on the North German Lloyd ship MAIN, arriving at Ellis Island 11 April 1913, in transit to Winnipeg. Soon afterwards, World War I erupted. Faced with huge losses in Europe, Canadians reacted against anything and anyone German, so Hilda found it best to "shade" their German surname to "Otter" [after a local general, no relation] by which most of the family are still known. The kids became Canadians; Gerald recalled the French-and-Indian War history he learned in high school almost to the end of his life.
Gerhard (now Gerald) Otto moved with his older brother Rolf to Fort William, Ontario, in 1916 and worked at drafting jobs in the Great Lakes region and Detroit until 1926. On 30 May 1922 the Fort William newspaper reported "the doughty Jerry" Otto's great endurance in lasting three minutes swimming in icy Lake Superior--he and his brothers and friends truly loved weekend outings rowing, hiking, fishing, skating or snowshoeing (depending on the season). In 1923, Gerald and his brother Rolf traveled to Oberlin, Ohio, to hear their uncle Prof. Rudolf Otto's lectures on mysticism, and had a good visit with him. In 1926, shortly after his rowing team took at medal at the Port Arthur (Ontario) Rowing Club, Gerald took the train south to Los Angeles to join his mother and family, making U.S. entry at Port Huron, Michigan, 18 September 1926.
Once in Los Angeles, Gerald joined the Sierra Club about 1928 and enjoyed its many skiing and hiking trips; discovered the writings of John Muir; and began many lifelong friendships. During the Depression he completed his high-school degree and did some college work at night school at USC. During the 1930s and 1940s he also worked at engineering companies such as Western Precipitation, McDonnell Douglas and Blue Diamond; in 1943 he went to work at Fruehauf Corporation. He learned about cameras, developing pictures he took in the mountains with an improvised enlarger made in his garage. During World War II, Gerald and his friends would pool their gas ration coupons to ski at Sun Valley in Idaho. During one of these trips he stood in line for a ski-lift with Clark Gable, who took his turn with everyone else. At times Gerald's friends suggested that, with his good looks and charming manner, he should think about going into the movies, but he was far more interested in hiking and skiing.
In 1952, at an ice-skating evening in Los Angeles, Gerald met Jean Blackman, a New York-born Stanford graduate. They were married on 13 December 1952 and settled in Los Angeles where their two children were born. Transferred by Fruehauf to its new facility in Ontario, California in 1959, Gerald and Jean moved their family there. Gerald retired from Brogdex Corporation of Pomona, California, in 1967. The family explored many parts of the western U.S. and Canada in their 15-foot travel trailer, reaching Montréal during Expo 67 and stopping in to visit surviving friends in Winnipeg and Fort William/Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay, Ontario) along the way. In the late 1960s and early 1970s Gerald was a trustee of his daughter's high school in Claremont, Calif.; supported his son in the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts; and saw them both through college and into careers. He spent his later years quietly but happily--tending the garden, making and repairing things in his garage workshop, and camping with Jean. In his last years Gerald made wherever he was a happier place, simply by being there.
Gerald died at Upland Convalescent Hospital, Upland, San Bernardino, Calif., 21 November 1991. On 29 November 1991, excerpts from John Muir were read for him at his memorial service at the First Presbyterian Church of Upland, where he and Jean had been members for 30 years. A family reunion held in Upland on 24 September 2000 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth brought together his wife, children and grandchildren as well as many nephews, nieces, great-nephews and -nieces (even a great-great-niece or two) to remember his life, his love for Jean, and his warm heart.
Gerald was a man of the greatest nobility of character, with brilliant blue eyes, a friendly smile, and wonderful good cheer, who when he was talking with you could make you feel that you were the most important person in the world. It seemed sometimes that there was nothing mechanical he couldn't fix, and no plant he couldn't at least help to grow. Gerald's mind had a wide grasp--he could start out by describing how special it was to sing "Holy, Holy, Holy" at a High Sierra sunrise service; explain to a six-year old the concept of the Holy Trinity; and then go back to his description of hiking--all in one sentence, which actually made sense. His life was a mirror of the twentieth century's amazing changes: born into a vanished world four months before Queen Victoria's death--and three years before the Wright Brothers' flight--Gerald was out weeding in our back yard on 21 July 1969, as Apollo 11 touched down on the moon. He treasured the stories of his Canary Island childhood, his German and Canadian youth, and his California adventures, passing them on to his children and his nieces and nephews, both for the joy of our company and the pleasure of storytelling, and in hopes that some of what he'd learned might help us make good choices in our turn. His ashes are buried in Lot 279, Deodar Section West, in Bellevue Cemetery, Ontario, in clear view of his beloved mountains.
