Karen Otto

Visitation: Monday, February 4, 2008 at Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home in Miles

Funeral service: Tuesday, February 5, 2008 at 4:00 p.m. at Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home.

Funeral mass and burial: will be held on Saturday, February 9, 2008 in Maryland.

Karen L. Otto (Brzuchalski), 56, of Miles City, MT, and Reno, NV, died January 31, 2008, at the Billings Clinic in Billings, MT.

Karen was born Nov. 7, 1951, in Baltimore, MD; the daughter of Melvin and Florence (Ordakowski) Brzuchalski.

Raised in a large and loving Polish family, she attended parochial schools in Glen Burnie, MD and the University of Maryland in Baltimore. Karen had a long and illustrious career with the U.S. Government including stints with the Internal Revenue Service, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, and the U. S. Foreign Service (USAID). Most recently she worked as consultant to the government, helping to develop judicial procedures for newly democratic countries, a job that took her to many corners of the world. Karen married Dr. Robert G. Otto on December 12, 1982, in Baltimore MD. They lived in Baltimore; Washington, DC; Cambridge, MD; Key West, FL; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Ukiah, CA, before moving to Reno and were in the process of moving to Miles City when her illness struck.

Karen was a member of the Catholic Church as well as numerous civic and social organizations. She enjoyed gardening and animals of all types and raised her own sheep and chickens as a hobby. She was an active devotee of garage and rummage sales and liked to renovate old houses in her spare time. Karen loved to travel and managed to see a great deal of the world in her brief lifetime. She leaves friends and colleagues in many countries.

Karen is survived by her husband, Bob, her mother Florence, step daughter Leslie (Collings), step sons George and Jeffrey, a brother David, sisters Lisa (Migliorisi) and Gail (Stinchcomb) and numerous other family. She was preceded in death by her father.

A Funeral Service will be held at 4:00 PM Tuesday, February 5, 2008 at Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home in Miles. A second service will be held at 11:00 AM at St. Phillip Neri in Linthicum Maryland. Should friends desire, condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.stevensonandsons.com. In Lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate a Mass card or a donation to the Salvation Army or to the charity of one's choice.