Andrea Otto, age 71, of Montana City

In loving memory of Candace Andrea Otto, known to most as Andrea.

Andrea passed away on the evening of May 3, 2022 at her home in Clancy, Montana surrounded by her loved ones as the sun set over her favorite gulch while her granddaughters sang ‘You are my sunshine’ over the phone.  Andrea was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Brain Cancer, known as Glioblastoma, back in September of 2021 and spent the past 8 months fighting to make the most of the time she had left with her family and beloved animals.  Andrea was 71 years old at the time of her passing.

Andrea was born in Miami, Florida on August 15, 1950 to father Jerome Andrew Church and mother Ella Louise Church.  During her childhood, she developed loves for the ocean, for animals, and for the outdoors that persisted throughout her lifetime.  Andrea and her family moved to New Jersey in her early teens where she attended a small private boarding school for the entirety of her high school career.  After graduating high school, Andrea enrolled at SUNY Stony Brook to pursue an undergraduate degree in Astronomy.  During her first year at Stony Brook, Andrea met her future husband, Frank William Otto.  Andrea had to take leave from her studies at Stony Brook to care for her ailing mother and was unable to return to Stony Brook to finish her degree.

Andrea and Frank married on May 20^th, 1972 and had four children, Andrew, Richard, Stefanie, and Frank Jr.  Andrea was a devoted and active mother who instilled in her children a dedication to family and a deep-rooted love for cooking, animals, and the outdoors.  Andrea and Frank lived on Long Island for almost forty years before relocating to the Helena area in 2013 to be closer to their daughter, Stefanie, and her family.

In addition to raising her 4 children, Andrea worked in the fine jewelry and flatware departments at the Fortunoff department store in Garden City, NY.  Andrea remained in sales at Fortunoff for over 20 years before retiring.  In her late 30s, Andrea took up running and become an accomplished runner as a member of the Fast Feet Runners Club on Long Island, NY.  Andrea participated in countless road racing events all over Long Island, but her true passion was running marathons.  Over the course of her running career, Andrea participated in close to a dozen marathons including the New York, Boston, Long Island, and Marine Corps marathons.

Perhaps one of Andrea’s greatest sources of joy in her life, aside from spending time with her beloved family and running the roads of Long Island, was caring for the various animals that were fortunate enough to make their way into her home.  Andrea and her husband, Frank, loved the hound dog breed and were parents to over a dozen basset hounds and bloodhounds throughout their life together.  There were always at least two cats in the house at all times along with a variety of fish and, after retiring from her work at Fortunoff, Andrea added to the mix iguanas, snakes, and parrots.  It was often said by those who knew Andrea that they hoped to one day be reincarnated as one of her pets so that they would receive the same level of care and pampered lifestyle.  Later in her life, Andrea developed a love for the Doberman breed and would spend much of her time exploring the trails around Helena, MT with her devoted guardian and protector by her side.

Andrea is survived by her husband, Frank Otto; her sons Andrew Otto and Frank Otto Jr.; her daughter Stefanie Otto-Hitt; her sister Nancy Lloyd; and her seven grandchildren Emma Hitt, Ella Hitt, Noelle Otto, Nathaniel Otto, Nicholas Otto, Aislynn Otto, and Maximilien Otto.

Andrea is preceded in death by her father, Jerome Church, her mother, Ella Church, her son, Richard Otto, and many of her beloved animals.

Memorials Suggested To The Lewis and Clark Humane Society, 2112 E Custer Ave, Helena, MT 59602; https://lchsmontana.org/

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