Paul Koenig Otto was born in Luzerne County, Pa., on September 7, 1916, the third child of Edgar Bodo Otto and Susan Jane Bryant. He married Mavis Elizabeth Jones of Powhatan in Johnston County, NC, in 1942
As a young man, Otto enjoyed hunting and was an award-winning trapper, mostly around the Neuse river. He was a 1933 graduate of Wilson’s Mills school and a faithful member of the alumni association. He worked in Wilson’s Mills until talk of war drew him to go to school in Nashville, TN, to learn how to build planes.
From there, he got a job at Martin’s Aircraft in Baltimore, MD. During most of WWII, he worked there until his father suffered a stroke and the family returned to NC to take care of his parents. He was drafted into the Army and served a short time, making him the oldest veteran in Johnston County.
He began farming and bought a homestead where he raised his 4 daughters. He raised chickens to supplement his farm income by selling eggs in the community. When farming became too much of a gamble, he began working at Aeroglide Corporation in Cary. He retired about 16 years later after his wife passed and returned to raising chickens, having a big garden, and working on his farm. He helped raise his grandson and granddaughter when they came to live on a corner of the farm in 1981.
Neighbors remember seeing him on his tractor or working with his hoe or chainsaw, always happy to lend a helping hand. He was very proud of his pecan trees and replanted an orchard in front of his home after he lost so many to Hurricane Fran in 1996. He always attended the Veteran’s Day ceremonies sponsored by the Johnston Co. School system at SSS High School each November and was proud to be honored for his WWII service.
He is survived by his 4 daughters – Betty Sue Woodall and husband Eugene of Smithfield, Patricia Godwin of Kenly, Connie Barton and husband Billy of Clayton, and Rita Jones of Clayton; also eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Many nieces, nephews, his great-nieces and great-nephews on the Otto side and the Jones side will miss their “Uncle Paul,” as well, he is the last of his generation in the family. He was preceded in death by his wife, Mavis and son-in-law, Calvin Godwin.
Services will be handled by McLaurin Funeral Home of Clayton. Visitation will be at Powhatan OFWB Church from 1:00 til 2:30 on Wednesday, April 10, with a graveside service following at Knollwood Cemetery at 3 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to SECU Hospice House in Smithfield or the Wilson’s Mills Fire Department.
