Otto J. Becker, age 92, of Kimball, died Monday January 8, 2018 at the V.A. Medical Center in St. Cloud.

Memorial Services will be held 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, January 23, 2018 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Kimball with visitation one hour prior to the service. Rev. David Milz will officiate. Burial will take place in the spring at Minnesota State Veteran's Cemetery near Little Falls.

Otto Becker was born July 26, 1925 in Elysian, Minnesota to August and Frieda (Otto) Becker. He grew up on a farm near Brewster. He helped at the families’ general store when he was old enough, starting in slaughtering and meat processing. Otto graduated from Brewster High School where he especially enjoyed industrial arts and band. He enlisted into the US Navy and was stationed at Great Lakes Naval Station as a butcher during WWII. While there, he met Charlene Smith who was also serving. They were married on August 17, 1946 in Beloit, Wisconsin. He then attended Dunwoody Institute in Minneapolis for refrigeration engineering. Otto lived most of his life in Albert Lea, where he worked as a boiler room engineer for Wilson’s Meat Packing and Farmstead. He also owned Becker’s Sanitation Service in Albert Lea.

Otto had a call to serve. Locally, He was active in Boy Scouts, church groups, and the Albert Lea Kiwanis Club. He helped at the Freeborn Historical Museum including major restoration of some of the buildings. He gave rides to medical appointments at the Minneapolis VA and Rochester Mayo Clinic. Nationally, Otto and Charlene worked as volunteers at National Parks and Monuments including Bandelier, NM, Ocracoke NC, and the Great Smokie Mountains. Otto went to Liberia, Africa to do mission work at a church school.

He had a love of travel; after many trips within the United States, Otto and Charlene also spent time in fifty-six other countries. He enjoyed camping and downhill skiing. He had a love of wood working and built many pieces of furniture. If you needed to find Otto, you only needed to go to his workshop. Otto will be missed by his family and friends who are left with rich memories of him.

Otto is survived by children James (Martha) Becker of Danville, VT and Patricia (Russell) Robb of Kimball; grandchildren Shawn (Kerri Ann) Robb, Trevor (Emily) Becker and Lizzy (Kevin) Bush; six great grandchildren; one great-great grandchild; two nephews; a niece; and many cousins. He will join in heaven his wife of over seventy years Charlene, his parents, a sister and a niece.

A special thank you to the St. Cloud VA staff for their care. The urn bearers will be Shawn and Kerri Ann Robb. Arrangements are entrusted with Dingmann Funeral Care Burial & Cremation Services of Kimball.

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