Nancy L. Otto

Nancy Otto passed peacefully early in the morning on December 18, 2024, in the presence of family. Her passing resulted from a sudden stroke about a week prior on December 11, 2024. She is survived by her husband of almost 55 years, Gordon Otto; and her two sons, Jesse (Shannon) Otto and Daniel (Nicola) Otto. She was a loving grandmother to Ansley and Lukas Otto.

Nancy was born in Austin, MN in 1951, and lived in Adams, MN until 1958, when she moved with her family to Warroad MN. She graduated from Warroad High School in May 1969 as Salutatorian. She was married in December of 1969 to the love of her life, Gordon, while he was home on miliary leave.

As Gordon finished out his military service, Nancy finished her associate degree in Accounting and Data Processing at Brainerd Technical College. Shortly after Gordon was honorably discharged from military service, the young couple relocated to Moorhead, where they put down deep roots. They lived in the same house in north Moorhead for over 50 years, raising their two sons and making treasured memories.

Nancy held several administrative and bookkeeping roles throughout her career, including: Concordia College (1970-1973), Fargo Beef (1973-1978), Scheels Hardware Moorhead (1978-1979), CBI Computer Services (1980-1982), Scheels Hardware Moorhead (1983-1988), Martinson Chiropractic (1990-1992), and Larry Harrington Photography (1991-1992). In 1992, she started at MeritCare working in Patient Registration, and shortly transitioned to an administrative support role for the Cardiac Rehab department, where she stayed from 1995 through 2021, seeing the department through multiple locations as well as the transition from MeritCare to Sanford Health. She received a MeritCare Golden Heart award in 2002.

Nancy’s involvement in local politics began in 1984 when she organized a campaign called “Save Our Parks” to protect the William H. Davy Memorial Park in Moorhead MN. After multiple petitions and a court battle, the park was upheld as a protected site and continues as a usable public space to this day, per the bequest of W. H. Davy.

Nancy ran for City Council in 1999 and began her first term in January 2000. She served as a City Council member for 17 years. In 2016, she wanted to focus on family and decided not to run for reelection.

During her tenure on the council, she was involved in multiple projects and improvements for the city, including: the removal of two unsightly grain elevators in the middle of Moorhead, the passing of smoke free ordinances more than two years before the state laws were put into force, the establishment of railroad quiet zones through the downtown, the Veterans Memorial main avenue bridge rebuild, as well as fighting multiple floods and getting involved in the early stages of the diversion.

She served on multiple committees, including: FM Diversion Board Member 2009-2016, FM Diversion Finance Committee, Economic Development Advisory Board, Oakport Joint Powers Board, Moorhead Public Service Liaison, FM Link Task Force, River Corridor Task Force, Moorhead Beautification Task Force, and the Clay County Solid Waste Advisory Board.

Fueled in part by her strong Christian faith, Nancy always displayed a helping heart. She assisted numerous elderly and disabled neighbors, family, and friends throughout her life, bringing them to appointments, helping with managing finances, and being a loving ear to listen and advise. She had a special talent for finding and helping those who had no one else to rely on.

Nancy touched the lives of so many. She was a loving wife, mother, sister, grandmother, aunt, and friend. She will be remembered as the glue that kept family members together and informed. Always incredibly organized, she would keep contact information up to date for the entire family. She would also keep everyone updated about any major events going on that impacted someone in the family.

She was a wealth of knowledge about many topics, and would spend much of her time in conversation with family and friends, whether that was over the phone or over a cup of coffee, which she loved to take black and piping hot. She particularly loved gardening, watching the birds at her many bird feeders in the back yard, and keeping an eye on local or national politics.

She had a ready smile and a light sense of humor, always endeavoring to bring joy to the children in her life, including her grandkids, and multiple grand nieces and nephews. Whenever the grandkids came to visit, she had a special little mailbox for them, where she left treats for them to find. They loved playing baseball and kickball, having water fights, baking together, solving puzzles, and helping decorate for the holidays each year.

Nancy is also survived by her siblings, Barb (Dan) Kasel, Elaine (Vern) Welin, Susan (Marvin) Nelson, Carol (Brian) Bennes, and David (Laurel) Ulwelling; along with dozens of nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her father, Leo Ulwelling 1914-1986; her mother, Margaret Ulwelling 1916-2007; her brother, James Ulwelling 1940-1959; and her sister, Dianne Ulwelling 1949-1949.

A celebration of life for Nancy will be held Sunday, January 12, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Armory Events Center in Moorhead, with a short message and time for remembrance starting at 11:30 a.m.

All are welcome to join and share any stories you have, or just listen and remember.