Otto Hugo Foerster

Otto Hugo Foerster, age 101, passed away on August 8, 2021. He was born on March 22, 1920, in Schoenberg, Taunus, Germany to Flora Olga Mauermann and Friedrich Wilhelm Foerster, the youngest of eight children.

He married Ilse Bruenger on December 21, 1941, in Frankfurt, Germany. Their marriage was solemnized in the Salt Lake Temple on March 22, 1950. Otto and Ilse are the parents of Ilse Young (John) and Gert Otto (Shirley). The family emigrated to America in 1949. They have 11 grandchildren and 40 great-grandchildren. His wife, Ilse, preceded him in death on May 27, 2001.

Otto was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served a mission in Germany from 1946 - 1949. He spent the first year of his mission as a traveling elder distributing relief supplies after World War II and then opened a Branch in Bremen-Burg where he served as the Branch President until his missionary release.

In his professional life, he worked as a master electrician building control panels for various machinery which was shipped all over the world. Otto enjoyed working with his hands and took pride in keeping his home and yard immaculate. He built a beautiful patio for his family to enjoy, and in his later years maintained a bird feeder for his feathered guests.

Otto was well known for sharing fruit snacks with neighborhood children and Symphony chocolate bars with friends and family. He always had a ready smile for the meals on wheels delivery drivers and the tellers at his bank.

He is survived by his son Gert and all of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Otto was proceeded in death by his wife, siblings, daughter, and son-in-law.

Having lived through the Great Depression and World War II, he experienced many difficult times during his life. As a result, he adopted the motto that he left with all who knew him: “Do the best you can with what you’ve got.” He was very proud of the fact that he was able to maintain his independence and stay in his home at 101+ years of age.

The funeral will be held on August 14th at 11:00 a.m. at the Stratford Ward (1500 E Stratford Ave SLC, UT 84106). There will be a viewing one hour prior to the services, and the interment will be at the Elysian Burial Gardens located at: 1075 E. 4580 S. Salt Lake City, UT 84117.
Those wishing to watch the services remotely may do so via the following Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81331950250?pwd=dkkxTERXM2J5YmFIUU40WnhteUVvZz09

Meeting ID: 813 3195 0250
Passcode: 317837

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Humane Society of Utah.