Arnold Otterness

Arnold Otterness, age 85, of rural Dennison, died peacefully at his home on Sunday. September 25, 2022.

Arnie was born on June 8, 1937, in Red Wing, the son of Edna and Arthur Otterness. He attended country school, then school in Wanamingo for a year. He graduated from Cannon Falls High School in 1956. While in high school, Arnie worked at Lee Chevrolet. Following his graduation Arnold was married to Jessie Carpenter on October 5, 1956. He joined the National Guard where he served until receiving an honorable discharge. Arnie farmed on his home farm for most of his life.

Arnie loved sports, especially hockey. He built a rink on his farm and kids from the neighborhood and towns all around all enjoyed backyard games. He was the coach for three or four non-school-related teams. He then turned his attention to basketball, creating a court for the kids around to play on. He also loved pitching horseshoes. He went to many tournaments where he pitched with some state winners. He was also active in the jail ministry of the Gideons.

Arnie developed into an exceptionally talented artist. He started the hobby of stained glass  and made many beautiful pieces. He sold a few, gave many away, and has one in every available window at home. He also did repair work on stained glass for surrounding churches and a lot of private parties. He mentored kids in his church youth program. Arnie was on the cemetery board at Urland Lutheran Cemetery for years, and he dug many graves. He could fix anything he set his mind to and had a slogan: “Things that were hard to fix took a while. Impossible ones took a while longer.” He lived his life to the fullest for 85 years and will be sadly missed.

Survivors include his wife Jessie, children Tim (Ruth) Otterness, Sue Bjugan, and Cindy Gillispie (Pete Christensen); grandchildren Melody (Shawn), Angie, Tasha (Matt), Dan (Elaine), Ryan (Holli), step grandchildren Eric (Shakeena), Joe (Brittany) and Nina; eighteen great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandson. Other survivors include nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, his son Arthur, grandson Hans, his brother Eldridge Flom, and sister Helen Kvittem.

A celebration of life for Arnie will be held on Saturday, October 15, 2022, at 11:00 am at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Aspeland. There will be a visitation time one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will be in the Urland Lutheran Cemetery. The service will be live streamed here.

Memorials to donor's choice preferred in lieu of flowers.

LIVESTREAM INFORMATION: For those who would like to participate in Arnie's service via livestream, you can watch the service on Saturday, October 15, at 11:00 AM. It can be viewed by scrolling to the bottom of this page and click PLAY to begin. Please leave a message of support on our Tribute Wall to let the family know you were able to watch the service. If you are having troubles with the Livestream, the service will be available to watch later in the day.