Dan Otter '82, 1960-2011
Daniel Ernest Otter, 51, of Las Vegas, passed away suddenly on July 15, 2011, in Lake Tahoe.
He was born in Oakland, CA on January 28, 1960, to the late Martin and Helen Otter. He is survived by his loving wife Victoria, and their three children Danielle, 15, Christian,13 and Katie, 11.
Dan is also survived by his father and mother-in-law Frank and Betty Fouce, of Las Vegas, sister Kathleen Otter Williams (Roger), and brothers Edward Otter (Janet) and Thomas Otter (Virginia); sisters-in-law Laura Fouce, Paula Fouce, Martha Fouce, Lynn Fouce and Antoinette Otter; brother-in-law Thomas Fouce (Maria); nephews Jason, Ryan, and Scott Otter; Nicholas and Jeffrey Williams; Vincent Fouce; newborn great-nephew Jaymeson Daniel Otter; nieces, Heather and Vanessa Otter; Kelly and Jillian Williams. He was preceded in death by brother-in-law Stephen Fouce and nephew Julian Fouce.
Dan attended Saint Mary’s College in Moraga, CA, graduated Magna Cum Laude and was President of the SMC business club. He was also an Academic All-American athlete. He played both football and rugby for St. Mary’s College and was a member of Santa Monica Rugby Club. A proponent of higher education, Dan also earned his MBA from UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management.
His passion for San Francisco led him to live on Russian Hill before beginning his 30-year career in commercial real estate, developing and building in Bakersfield and Walnut Creek, California. He founded his first company in Palmdale, California where he developed and built shopping centers and business parks. He was the Antelope Valley Building Industry Association’s 1991 builder member of the year. The following year he was named the Southern California BIA Volunteer Member of the Year for leading the effort to build a $1.5 million Palmdale Little League complex.
After moving to Nevada, he continued to develop commercial real estate and was proud to have mentored four students from the LEID Institute of Real Estate Studies at UNLV.
He was an outdoor enthusiast with a passion for rugby, football, fishing, cycling and camping with his family. Dan was an avid traveler and in each country he visited he made new friends and discovered relatives.
Dan was a dedicated Boy Scout Cub Master, Boy Scout Cub Leader, Little League Coach, and a deeply devoted husband, father and friend. Enriched by life’s simplicities, he was happy with a full-flavored cigar in one hand and a glass of fine wine in the other.
As a result of losing his father at age 12 to Alzheimer’s and later his mother to this deadly disease, he dedicated himself to finding cures for neurological diseases, with his children and future generations in mind. Dan was a member of the Board of Directors of The Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas since its inception in 2006.
A private celebration of Dan’s life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Dan’s name to The Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas (www.keepmemoryalive.org) or The Julian T. Fouce Music Therapy Program at The Monroe Carell Jr Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt (https://webapp.mis.vanderbilt.edu/olga/?appealCode=M1070).