Robert "Bob" Otto

Robert Edward Otto, 89, of Milwaukee, was born to eternal life on Monday, May 1, 2023. He was born on Dec 1, 1933, the son of Leslie and Adeline Otto and lived in or near the Milwaukee area most of his life until he and his wife retired to Fox Lake, WI in 2002 and then returned to Franklin, WI in 2021.

The sixth of eight children, Bob’s early years were challenging. That all changed when he met Sandra Eisler, who lived nearby with her family. Bob loved Sandy’s shiny Schwinn bicycle. Their romance was born the moment Sandy offered to let Bob take a ride.

Sandra and Bob were married on June 27, 1953 just 10 days after she graduated from high school. A little more than one year later Don was born and their family began to grow in love. Over the next several years Gerry and finally Karen came along.

Bob enjoyed a long and successful career as a Teamster, working for a variety of trucking companies for nearly forty years before retiring in 1991.

In 1981, Bob and Sandy purchased a home on Fox Lake. They enjoyed many summer weekends there while Bob was working, with a goal of making it their four season home. After Bob retired in 1991, he worked tirelessly to make improvements on the home, until finally, in 2002, their dream of living at “the lake” year round came true. Bob and Sandy had many, many friends in the Fox Lake community and greatly enjoyed their time there.

Bob was a very proud grandfather to Anna Otto and Jenny Zima. He loved “his girls” and was ready for anything dreamed up by Sandy, whether a trip to the zoo, the Wisconsin Dells, or just some time together at the lake.

Bob and Sandra were truly a team. Together they enjoyed traveling throughout the United States, morning coffee and dinners with their friends, and spending time with their children and grandchildren. There was no adventure too great for Sandy. Whether they were visiting casinos, cruising to Alaska, or spending time with friends in California, Bob was the willing co-pilot. As long as he was with Sandy, life was good.

Bob was hard-working, humble, and devoted to his Catholic faith. But most of all he loved his soul mate, Sandra. Although he tried so very hard, life without her was just not the same. Bob passed away only eight months after Sandy. Although we will miss him, we know he is where he belongs.

A limb has fallen from our family tree. It says grieve not for me. Remember the best times, the laughter, the songs, the good life. We will all miss you every day until we meet again.

The family would like to express our gratitude to the caregivers at New Perspective and Legacy Hospice for their loving care of Bob.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

A memorial gathering will be held at Max A. Sass & Sons-Mission Hills Chapel (8910 W. Drexel Ave., Franklin) on Monday, May 22 starting at 3PM until time of memorial service at 5PM.