Bruno Ochner

Our dad, Mr. Bruno Ochner, was born September 8, 1930 in Burgstall Italy, a small town nestled in the Italian Alps, similar to the scenery in the Sound of Music. Bruno’s parents were Anton and Albina Ochner. He was the youngest of seven sisters and brothers. As a young man, he studied in London and went on to manage hotels throughout Switzerland and Italy. During this time, he met Marion his soon-to-be wife, and after several trips back to Europe, they were finally married in a small town in the mountains. The entire town came out to see the American girl marry the young Italian. They lived in the hotel where he worked along the Italian Riviera until eventually moving to Chicago.

In 1969 with three small children in tow, they bought a resort in Isabella, MO on Bull Shoals Lake. He operated his business for 46 years. Bruno enjoyed life at the resort, hosting and entertaining the returning guests and friends. He also enjoyed maintaining the cabins, the grounds, and the boats at the dock. Life as a resort owner was hard work, but also held many fun memories for the entire family: Bon fires, fish fry’s, water skiing, and many nights on the patio talking with old friends to name a few.

Bruno always had an optimistic outlook on life, sometimes maybe to the point of being a little unrealistic. He always enjoyed taking his children, and any of the guests staying at the resort, out skiing. In the early years, Bruno had an old Chris Craft ski boat, a lemon by anyone’s standards, but in his optimistic view, it was always fixable. He and the kids would set out skiing, so optimistic that not even a paddle was needed. His children however, remember fondly how that “fixable” engine lived up instead to the “lemon” name and in all reality, the new adventure, at least for the guests, was paddling back to the dock, not with paddles, but water skis.

Bruno sold his resort and moved to Evans, GA in 2014 to live near his son Douglas, daughter-in-law Sandy and grandchildren. Upon his son’s deployment, he moved to an assisted living in Texas to be near his daughter Christine for his last six months. Bruno really enjoyed the social interaction and could always be found chatting with other residents and the staff, sneaking a dog biscuit to Astro the community dog, or going on regular outings. Bruno was described by the staff and residents as always happy and enjoyed having fun.

Bruno was a member of his church for 46 years and for most of that time directed the communion servers. Memories of our dad are of him reading his bible every night, before going to bed with a glass of wine.

If we were to describe our dad, we might say: optimistic, lived righteously acknowledging his flaws, a hard worker, a family man, joyful, loved the humor in life, a man of unshakeable faith, most importantly knowing his salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

He is preceded in death by his mother and father Albina and Anton Ochner; his brother Alois; his sisters Irma and Emma and his wife of 49 years, Marion. He is survived by his siblings Quirin, Tony, and Albina; his son Carlton Ochner and wife Lori; his son Douglas Ochner and wife Sandy, his daughter Christine Ochner, and grandchildren David, Annalisa, Jonathon, and Isabella.