Beth Otting

Beth Ann Otting, age 51, formerly of Albuquerque, New Mexico and Waukon, died Friday, January 29, 2016 in Fishtown, Liberia, Africa. A memorial mass and dinner will be held in her honor Saturday, April 2 at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Waukon.  The rosary will be said at 9:30 a.m., the family will be present at the church from 10-11 a.m., and mass will take place at 11 a.m., with the dinner and her funeral video to follow in the church basement.
Beth was born February 14, 1964 in Dubuque, the daughter of Daniel and Helen (Kramer) Otting. She was baptized at the Church of the Resurrection in Dubuque and later confirmed at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Waukon.
She attended Waukon High School, where she graduated in 1982. Beth continued her education at Clarke College in Dubuque, where she earned a degree in Music Education and graduated magna cum laude in 1986. She later earned her Master’s Degree in Business from the University of Phoenix.
Beth taught Music Education in Sheldon and then St. Patrick's School in Waukon. She was a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity from 1989-1997 in both Ghana and Uganda, Africa. In 1997 she moved to Albuquerque, NM and worked at a cemetery as a grief counselor. After earning her Master’s she became a Chaplain at Amber Care Hospital in Albuquerque, NM, helping those preparing for death and their families left to mourn.
In the fall of 2015 she joined the Society of African Missions as a Lay Minister and spent the remainder of the year training for her assignment in Sasstown, Liberia. January 3, 2016 she embarked from the U.S. and arrived in Fishtown, Liberia January 5 for final training before journeying to Sasstown.
January 29 Beth was swimming in the ocean with her mission partner and a few colleagues when one of their party began to drown. Beth swam over to assist and ended up drowning in her attempt to save another. She lived as she died, in service to others.  She has requested to be buried in Africa.
Those left to cherish her memory include her father, Daniel J. (Mary Anne) Otting of Waukon; her siblings, Chuck (Sandi) Otting of St. Joseph, MO, Pat (Jane) Otting of Waukon, Mary (David) Vass of Germantown, MD, Kathy (Todd) Wenthold of West Union, Dana (Craig) Davis of Newell, Matt (Eve) Otting of Maquoketa and Tom (Tanya) Otting of Center Point; her nieces, Ashley (Kevin) Haar, Katie Otting (fiancé David Zahn), Rachel Otting, Molly and Samantha Wenthold, Emma Davis, and Caroline and Cate Otting; her nephews, Doug Otting, Marc Otting, Jake Davis, Daniel Otting and Drew Otting; a great niece, Arya Haar; a step-brother, Gregg (Maura) Jones of Waukon, and their children, Dolan and Aiden; a step-sister, Heather (Earl) Zezulka of Waukon, and their children, Luke, Tori and Adelyn; and a great number of extended aunts, uncles, family and friends.
Beth was preceded in death by her mother, Helen Otting; her grandparents, John (Jack) and Melitta Otting, and Louis and Coletta Kramer; her uncles, Vernon Kramer and Harry Kroyer; and a cousin, Kim Krapfl.
A memorial fund has been established at Farmers and Merchants Savings Bank, 201 W. Main Street, Waukon, IA 52172. Donations in Beth’s memory will be given to St. Patrick’s School music department and the Waukon swimming pool.