John Henry Otto

John Henry Otto died at his Champaign home on Sunday, August 27, 2017, at the age of 71. John is survived by his wife, Rosalee Maust Otto; son Jeremy Otto (Bomina Cha) of Champaign; son Christopher Otto (Emily DuFour) and grandsons, Obed and Wallace Otto, of New York, NY; and siblings Wilmer Otto of Arcola; Jo Ann Borntrager of Louisville, KY; Dannie Otto of Hiroshima, Japan; Louise Otto Hostetter of Harrisonburg, VA; Harold Otto of Vienna, Austria; Mark Otto of Muscoda, WI; and Milton Otto, Jr. of Urbana. John was preceded in death by his parents, Milton and Lucy (Diener) Otto, and a brother, Alva Eugene Otto, all of Arcola. John was born on August 22, 1946, in Mattoon. He began his education as an Amish boy in the one-room Liberty School south of Arthur. John's parents eventually left the Amish church, which allowed him to attend Arcola public schools and sharpen his writing skills under the demanding and eagle-eyed Ms. Harrington. After performing alternative service as a conscientious objector to war, John attended Eastern Mennonite College, where he was editor of the Weather Vane, the student newspaper. On this conservative campus, John did his best to encourage the Mennonite Church to live up to its historic ideals by helping organize opposition to the war and penning editorials supporting young Mennonite men who chose to resist the draft and go to prison rather than accept conscientious objector status, an action that would have resulted in someone else being sent to fight in their stead. While John did not burn his draft card, he felt that Mennonite institutions had an obligation to support all those who were taking a moral stand. John's skill as a college newspaper editor landed him a job as a reporter for the Flint (MI) Journal, covering city hall and the courthouse. Observing attorneys plying their craft, John came to the conclusion that he could do their job-and probably do it pretty well. John also noticed that pretty good attorneys were paid a lot better than pretty good journalists. In 1977, John graduated from the University of Michigan Law School with a Juris Doctor degree. After practicing law for several years in Michigan, John moved to Champaign and joined the firm of Zimmerly, Gadau, Selin & Otto, where he practiced law until he retired in 2011. As an attorney, John worked in general practice with a focus on civil rights and employment law. He loved to represent the little guy. John won numerous lawsuits against the University of Illinois and other large institutions on behalf of clients who other attorneys had turned away. He never threatened a lawsuit he wasn't prepared to file, and never filed a lawsuit he didn't believe he could win. John's clients valued his frank (sometimes blunt) advice. Some of his best friends and most loyal clients were persons he had previously sued. As one client (and former adversary) put it, "I want to make sure that, the next time I get sued, you're on my side of the table, not across from me." In recent years, John often expressed how lucky he was. As a lifelong bookworm, John felt especially fortunate to have met Rosalee, who shared his love of reading. The two were married on August 14, 1971, in Bay Port, MI. Their travels took them across North America and to Europe and Asia. John and Rosalee raised two fine sons: Jeremy, who works in retail management, and Christopher, a violinist with the JACK Quartet. They are proud that their sons married two outstanding women, Bomina and Emily. John and Rosalee are also very proud of their grandsons, Obed and Wally. John often said, "I know that I am biased as a grandparent, but I think even an objective observer would have to admit that Obed and Wally are cuter than other babies. They just are." Judging from the number of strangers who stop Chris and Emily to admire their sons, perhaps John was right. Since 2005, John's skill as a writer found an outlet in his blog, "A Crockhead Abroad: A Sardonic Commentary from a Former Amish Boy Who Is Now an Aging Skeptic." One of his final posts illustrates the thoughtful reflection and good humor he shared to the end of his life: "Part of the joy has been, and will continue to be, re-establishing deeper and better communication with Rosalee, my children, my siblings, and my friends. Some of them, maybe not as many as I would like to think, get tired of my saying I don't deserve all of this love and support. I am trying to realize that deserving has nothing to do with anything good or bad. I did nothing to deserve deadly brain cancer; I did nothing to deserve all the wonders of my life. And I'm glad I'm not going to be punished for not being more perfect." John's wit, honesty, and provocations can still be found at crockheadabroad.blogspot.com. A visitation is scheduled for Wednesday, September 6, from 4 to 7 p.m., at First Mennonite Church, 902 W. Springfield Ave., Urbana. A memorial service will be held at the church on Thursday, September 7, at 11 a.m. Memorials may be made to the Mennonite Central Committee. John's family would like to thank caregivers, friends, and family for their care and dedication in assisting John over the past two years.