Otto Vavrin

Otto was born on September 5, 1946, in Chicago, Illinois to Alice Josephine Dorigan and Otto Vavrin, Sr.

Otto was a man of diverse talents and interests. He was always curious and interested in learning. As a child, his mother took him to the library every Saturday after Otto finished his accordion lessons. He read extensively in his search for truth. He often noted the words of Socrates, Shakespeare, Voltaire, and the Bible (especially Proverbs and Matthew)in his collection of memorable quotations. He enjoyed poetry, often reading the book One Hundred and One Famous Poems, which he first read in grade school. He admired leadership, particularly that of the bold General George Patton.

Otto enjoyed school so much; he was able to skip a grade in elementary school. Always seeking to outperform, he succeeded throughout his career. He graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1968, where he was a proud member of the Beta-Sigma Chapter of Sigma Pi fraternity.

Otto’s first job was with Gallo (the E&J Gallo Wine Company). He continued to excel, being named state manager for Missouri while in his early twenties. He often managed people much older than himself. It wasn’t long before his achievements were further recognized.The Anheuser-Busch distributor for St. Louis County, Grey Eagle, hired him as sales manager. Under Otto’s prolific and inventive mind, he not only managed the award-winning sales team, but he also created events for Grey Eagle that later were adopted citywide and sometimes nationally.

In 1985, Otto left the Midwest and came to Redondo Beach, California. Bay Beer Distributors, the fifth largest Anheuser-Busch distributor in the U.S., hired Otto as sales manager, where he managed the largest sales team in the country’s largest territory.

It was there that Otto met the love of his life, Betsy Simkus, who was the PR director. Just six months later, they were engaged. A year later, they married at Our Lady of Malibu Catholic Church. They were inseparable for forty-one years.

Leadership positions in the alcoholic beverage industry were not Otto’s only career. Otto had a second career in the entertainment industry. While helping a friend, a studio musician, he became interested in the music business. He founded his own company, SMC Artists, in 1990, and was invited to be a guest lecturer at both UCLA and USC Film Schools. Over the following 35 years, he managed music composers in the Los Angeles area and expanded his client list to include composers and songwriters throughout the U.S. and Europe. Otto was proud of representing each of them. They often were more than clients; they were friends.

Otto’s leadership continued while serving at his church, St. Francis Episcopal Church in Palos Verdes, CA. He was head of stewardship for two consecutive years and was a critical member of the Rector Search Committee in 1993. Otto was as an important member of the communications committee and the lead “carpenter” for the St. Francis Antiques Show in 1990, which Betsy co-chaired. For several years, Otto also served on the stewardship committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.

Otto’s startling diagnosis was on February 4, 2026. The love of his life and he were together, as they always were, as Otto left this life on March 26. A memorial service celebrating Otto’s life is planned for September in St. Louis, which he always considered home.

If you wish to honor Otto’s memory, he would want you to do the following: smile when you see each other; laugh and love each other as he did; inspire others to be their best self; give to others when needed; let the joke be on you; and, honor God for the blessings you have received.