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Created page with "Com. Albert Joseph Otto (1924-2009) was commended 1952 by Believers Chapel (aka Wheatland Bible Chapel) in Dallas, Texas. He was the fir..."
Com. [[Albert Joseph Otto]] (1924-2009) was commended 1952 by [[Wheatland Bible Chapel, TX|Believers Chapel]] (aka Wheatland Bible Chapel) in Dallas, [[Texas]]. He was the first military chaplain to be recognized by the U.S. government as commended from the Brethren specifically.
=Family=
He was born in Comstock Twp., Kalamazoo, [[Michigan]] on Jan. 13, 1924, a son of William Henry Otto (b. 1898 Otsego, MI - d. 1980 Asheville, Buncombe, NC) & Gladys Opal Kelley Otto (b. 1902 Hickory Corners, Barry, MI - d. 1982 Asheville, NC). William's memorial was officiated by Bert Councell & Don Moore.
He was raised in Kalamazoo, and by 1935 in St. Petersburg, [[Florida]]. Al had three siblings:
* Evelyn Leah Otto Buchanan (b. 1927 Comstock Twp., MI - d. 2003 Lawrenceville, IL). Husband (1954 @ Waynesville, NC): Rowland G. Buchanan, son of Ralph E. Buchanan of Lawrenceville, IL.
* Charles "Chuck" Wesley Otto (b. 1926 Comstock Twp., MI - d. 2015 FL)
* Abraham Franklin Otto (b. 1946 St. Petersburg, FL). Wife (1970 @ Polk Co., FL): Teresa Louise Wilbanks Otto (1948-2008 Lakeland, Polk, FL), daughter of James Leon Wilbanks (b. 1919 Neman, Elmore, [[Alabama|AL]] - d. 1988 Lakeland, FL) & Mildred Evelyn Bean Wilbanks (b. 1921 Chattanooga, [[Tennessee|TN]] - d. 1990 Lakeland, FL).
=Education=
He graduated from [https://www.emory.edu/home/index.html Emory University] with a B.S., [[Dallas Theological Seminary]] with a Masters in Theology, [https://www.hofstra.edu/ Hofstra University] with a Masters in Biology, and from [https://www.pepperdine.edu/ Pepperdine University] with a M.A. in Human Resource Management. He also studied for a Ph.D. from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dropsie_College_for_Hebrew_and_Cognate_Learning Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning].
=Assemblies=
Al was raised among the TW exclusives, and left sometime prior to being commended by Believers Chapel in Dallas, which is an open assembly.
=Marriage and Family=
Al's wife was Elizabeth Colgan Otto. They had one daughter, Mary Otto Selzer of Cullowhee.
=Military=
As per his [https://www.wellsfuneralhome.com/obituaries/albert-otto obit], he served during WWII with the USMC as Sergeant in the telephone corps with long-rang artillery units in the Pacific theater. In Sept. 1953 he joined the Navy as the first PB chaplain, and retired as a Commander on June 30, 1980. His final shipboard assignment was on the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Saratoga_(CV-60) USS Saratoga]. Al's father, William Henry Otto, was a veteran of WWI, and retired from the U.S. Navy.
=Later Life=
After a medically-induced retirement in 1980, Com. Otto resided in Wheaton, [[Illinois|IL]], Keystone Heights, [[Florida|FL]] and Maggie Valley, [[North Carolina|NC]].
He was promoted to glory on May 22, 2009 in Canton, Haywood, NC. His memorial was officiated by Clayton Davis at [https://waynesvillechristianfellowship.org/ Waynesville Christian Fellowship] in Waynesville, NC and the graveside by Mike Otto, founding pastor of [https://countrysideinpa.org/cside-home-page-4-28-2020/more-about-us/ Countryside Community Church], an independent in Newtown, [[Pennsylvania]], with military rites from the Navy. Memorials were suggested to the [[Gideons]].
=Sources=
* [https://www.wellsfuneralhome.com/obituaries/albert-otto Al's obit]
=Family=
He was born in Comstock Twp., Kalamazoo, [[Michigan]] on Jan. 13, 1924, a son of William Henry Otto (b. 1898 Otsego, MI - d. 1980 Asheville, Buncombe, NC) & Gladys Opal Kelley Otto (b. 1902 Hickory Corners, Barry, MI - d. 1982 Asheville, NC). William's memorial was officiated by Bert Councell & Don Moore.
He was raised in Kalamazoo, and by 1935 in St. Petersburg, [[Florida]]. Al had three siblings:
* Evelyn Leah Otto Buchanan (b. 1927 Comstock Twp., MI - d. 2003 Lawrenceville, IL). Husband (1954 @ Waynesville, NC): Rowland G. Buchanan, son of Ralph E. Buchanan of Lawrenceville, IL.
* Charles "Chuck" Wesley Otto (b. 1926 Comstock Twp., MI - d. 2015 FL)
* Abraham Franklin Otto (b. 1946 St. Petersburg, FL). Wife (1970 @ Polk Co., FL): Teresa Louise Wilbanks Otto (1948-2008 Lakeland, Polk, FL), daughter of James Leon Wilbanks (b. 1919 Neman, Elmore, [[Alabama|AL]] - d. 1988 Lakeland, FL) & Mildred Evelyn Bean Wilbanks (b. 1921 Chattanooga, [[Tennessee|TN]] - d. 1990 Lakeland, FL).
=Education=
He graduated from [https://www.emory.edu/home/index.html Emory University] with a B.S., [[Dallas Theological Seminary]] with a Masters in Theology, [https://www.hofstra.edu/ Hofstra University] with a Masters in Biology, and from [https://www.pepperdine.edu/ Pepperdine University] with a M.A. in Human Resource Management. He also studied for a Ph.D. from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dropsie_College_for_Hebrew_and_Cognate_Learning Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning].
=Assemblies=
Al was raised among the TW exclusives, and left sometime prior to being commended by Believers Chapel in Dallas, which is an open assembly.
=Marriage and Family=
Al's wife was Elizabeth Colgan Otto. They had one daughter, Mary Otto Selzer of Cullowhee.
=Military=
As per his [https://www.wellsfuneralhome.com/obituaries/albert-otto obit], he served during WWII with the USMC as Sergeant in the telephone corps with long-rang artillery units in the Pacific theater. In Sept. 1953 he joined the Navy as the first PB chaplain, and retired as a Commander on June 30, 1980. His final shipboard assignment was on the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Saratoga_(CV-60) USS Saratoga]. Al's father, William Henry Otto, was a veteran of WWI, and retired from the U.S. Navy.
=Later Life=
After a medically-induced retirement in 1980, Com. Otto resided in Wheaton, [[Illinois|IL]], Keystone Heights, [[Florida|FL]] and Maggie Valley, [[North Carolina|NC]].
He was promoted to glory on May 22, 2009 in Canton, Haywood, NC. His memorial was officiated by Clayton Davis at [https://waynesvillechristianfellowship.org/ Waynesville Christian Fellowship] in Waynesville, NC and the graveside by Mike Otto, founding pastor of [https://countrysideinpa.org/cside-home-page-4-28-2020/more-about-us/ Countryside Community Church], an independent in Newtown, [[Pennsylvania]], with military rites from the Navy. Memorials were suggested to the [[Gideons]].
=Sources=
* [https://www.wellsfuneralhome.com/obituaries/albert-otto Al's obit]