Angela Otterbein

Funeral Information

Visitation will be Tuesday, October 22nd from 4:00 to 8:00 pm at MacAlpine Funeral Home, with scripture service at 7 pm. Mass of Christian burial will be Wednesday, October 23rd at 11:00 am, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, St. Hubert Parish, with visitation prior to service from 10:00 am to 11:00 am. Burial will be at the church cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Bad Axe Area District Library or the Sacred Heart, St. Hubert Parish, Food Pantry in Angela’s honor.

Family of the Deceased

Angela is survived by her children Captain Thomas (Kasia) Otterbein, Ellen Martin, Bridget (Al) Glasgow, grandchildren Angie Martin, Casey (Dan) Haeg, Dr. David Martin (Dr. Shireen de Sam Lazaro), and great grandchild Rosalind Estelle, sister in law Marion Bueschlen as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Ellie and Tom would like to express their immense gratitude to Bridget and Al for all they did for Mom over the years. They made Mom their priority and did everything they could to make her days happy and comfortable. Angela was preceded in death by her best friend and husband of 54 years Don Otterbein, three children lost in infancy; siblings Thomas Casey, Lucille (Keren) Costello, Eleanor (Sheldon) Peterson, Patrick Casey, Dorothy (Stanley) Faupel, Gert (George) Glaspie, Willard Casey (infant), Irene (Malcolm) Boughner, Kathleen (infant), Anna (Clifford) Humphrey and James (Joyce) Casey; sister-in-law Bernice (Matt) McIntyre, brother-in-law Ernie Bueschlen, four great grandchildren in miscarriage, as well as son-in-law David Martin.

Biography

Angela M. Otterbein, age 101, of Bad Axe Michigan, passed away peacefully October 19, 2019 surrounded by her loving family. Angela was born in Meade Township on April 10, 1918 to Bridget (McGee) and James Casey. She was raised in the Pinnebog area and attended a one room schoolhouse where she was allowed to skip two grades (we’d be in big trouble if we neglected to mention this) which resulted in her graduating from high school at the age of 16. Angela worked at Kalamazoo State Hospital for a time and worked for Michigan Bell for a number of years before marrying Donald L. Otterbein on November 3, 1944. Angela was a lifelong learner. Considering that she grew up on a farm complete with hay wagons and horse drawn carriages, hoeing fields by hand, and working as a telephone operator where she had to actually connect people utilizing a switchboard, it was amazing to watch her embrace new technology. Her children and grandchildren were impressed with how easily she learned to use an IPAD, play Jeopardy and Bible Trivia on her Alexa, and keep up with family and friends on Facebook. She loved to read all her life, and when her eyesight began to fail, she relied on audiobooks to feed her passion. Angela loved her trips to New York with her good friends Peg Ney, June Edwards, and Lois McDowell, enjoying many shows and adventures over the years while their husbands went deer hunting. Angela was a devout Catholic throughout her life and her faith gave her comfort and peace when life handed her challenges. She was Irish through and through, as evidenced by her wry wit and wonderful sense of humor. She was fun and fun-loving. Angela was a formidable Euchre and Scrabble player. She was very musical and played the piano by ear. She could listen to a song on the radio and immediately sit down and play it!. She was very proud of her children and grandchildren. Angela was thrilled to welcome her great granddaughter Rosalind this summer. Angela enjoyed accompanying her grandchildren on annual “heritage tours” visiting her birthplace, childhood farm homes, one-room schoolhouse, St. Felix Church (where her parents were married, she and her siblings were baptized, and where many of her family members were buried), Souletown, and the house that served as a blind pig during Prohibition. The tour always concluded with a trip to Heck’s Bar for a beer. Her last trip to Heck’s was this past July!

Printer Friendly Version