Ben Ottmar

Ben Ottmar, 85, died Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015, of natural causes in Bartlesville, Okla., after a lengthy illness. Cremation has taken place under the direction of Stumpff Funeral Home in Bartlesville. A memorial service will be held at a later date, followed by interment in North Dakota Veterans Cemetery in Mandan, N.D.

He was born Aug. 24, 1929, in Burt, N.D., and worked on the family farm until he joined the Army in 1948. He was honorably discharged in 1952.

He worked for Northern Pacific Railroad from 1952-1962. During this time he met and married Bette M. Davison on Aug. 16, 1958, in Killdeer, N.D.

He worked for the Bureau of Reclamation (later renamed Western Area Power Administration) from 1962 – 1991 in Fort Peck, Glendive and Bismarck, N.D.

He was preceded in death by five brothers and two sisters.

Survivors include his wife, Bette; two daughters, Laurie of Baltimore, Md., Julie, of Bartlesville, Okla., and her husband, Ben Roberson; two grandchildren, Shelbie and Benjamin; and a sister, Martha Reich, of Lodi, Calif.; as well as many nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the cemetery.