Robert William Ott

Robert "Bob" William Ott Jr, 91 passed away peacefully at home on July 21,2020. Born in South Bend, Indiana on February 10, 1929 to Robert William Ott Sr. and Mary Jane Riddle Ott, he was raised and went to school in South Bend, left high school early to join the Army where he served at the end of WW II, mostly deployed in Japan. Eligible for the GI Bill, he returned to South Bend and was expected to enter Purdue to become a Radio Engineer, but delayed, first working at the automobile manufacturer Studebaker, and then selling insurance for Bankers Life and Casualty. Active in Young Republican Politics, he finally decided to try his hand at law and was accepted at Harvard. Though enthralled at being in the Ivy Yard, he quickly became dis-enchanted with law and politics. He returned to South Bend where at a New Year's Eve party he met his future wife Joan Marie Kiszla Ott. He began his career working in industry in Mishawaka, Indiana at the US Rubber factory, quickly rising to a supervisor in production and eventually an industrial engineer in the coated fabrics division. Producing many cost-saving methods for US Rubber, he became involved with a new process whereby radio-isotopes were used to measure vinyl cloth (Naugahyde) without contact, and while being processed at high speeds (Beta gauges). He left US Rubber and took a sales job with a new firm called Isotopes Limited, making a reputation for himself across the Midwest with the paper, rubber coated fabrics, and other web process industries. With his wife Joan and now two children, he moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to be more centered in the territory, finally leaving the company when it was sold to Curtis-Wright. Moving the family to Rockford Illinois, he founded a Company called General Web Dynamics, which manufactured several devices on which he secured US and foreign patents. The company grew and added sales offices throughout the US and Canada, and then Europe. A plant was added in Bielefeld, Germany. Small offices in Canada and Brazil and an active licensee in Japan began to keep him busy traveling the world. When the creative juices dried up, he sold the business to a European company and retired to Chico, California having had enough snow shoveling after the severe winter of 1978. After retiring he enjoyed traveling across the United State in his "motor coach" with his wife and two youngest daughters. Bob was a resident of Chico for the past 42 years. He loved playing golf and snooker, enjoyed fishing, watching baseball (especially the SF Giants) and attending the Symphony. After his wife of 52 years passed, Bob was lucky at love again, meeting Danielle his sweetheart of 17 years, whom he married in 2015. A life-long Mason, former Star Scout & DeMolay officer, member of the American Ordnance Association, Kiwanis Club of Chico, Bidwell Park Golf Club, and the Chico Elks Lodge. Bob is preceded in death by his wife Joan and son Robert William Ott III (Tracy, California) leaves wife Danielle Cossu-Ferrara Ott (Chico, California) and three daughters Vicki Hilton & husband Dan (Tampa, Florida), Mary Jane Ott & husband Barry Berkowitz, MD (Dallas, Texas) and Camela Joan Ott, MD & husband Mark Bell, MD (Manhattan Beach, California). Other loved ones include daughters in laws Christina Ott and Kim Ott and grandchildren Danielle, Robert, and Ryan Ott, and Luke and Dominic Bell. He will be deeply missed and forever in our hearts. Because we can't gather at this time, we will have a celebration of life at a later date.