F. William Othon

Felix William “Bill” Othon, P.E. died peacefully at his Houston home on Sunday, July 12, 2015 after a short battle with cancer. Bill was born on October 4, 1938 in Havana, Cuba to William and Aurora Othon. A devout Catholic, Bill was educated by the Maristas Brothers and attended Villanova University in Havana where he provided service by joining the Agrupacion Catolica Universitaria. In 1961, he was exiled from communist Cuba and emigrated to the U.S. He reunited with his childhood sweetheart, Blanca, and settled in Dallas, TX where they married and had four children.

Bill started his engineering career as a draftsman while attending night school at UT-Arlington, graduating with a degree in civil engineering and then earning the title of Professional Engineer. In 1996, Bill fulfilled a life-long dream by founding Othon Inc., Consulting Engineers where he served as President for almost 20 yrs. Bill was an active leader in a number of professional and community organizations.

Bill attributed his successful career to an optimistic outlook and focus on personal responsibility. He believed his many opportunities would not have been possible without a life of hard work and positive thinking. He believed that positive thinking generates the energy for success in life and motivates those around him.

Bill is survived by his beloved wife of 54 years, Blanca; by his four children: Bill and wife Marilyn, Gabriel and wife Mary Jo, Charles and wife Karen, and Sofia and husband John Riches; by his ten grandchildren, his brother, Adrian and wife Miriam, and sister-in-law, Trinidad Blanco, niece, Gemma Nolan and husband Tim, and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, remembrances made to: Friends of John Paul II Foundation of Philadelphia Inc., “On Behalf of F. William Othon”, 1247 Southampton Rd., Philadelphia, PA 19116 or the UT Arlington- Engineering, UTA Office of Development, Box 19198, Arlington, TX 76019 (Checks can be made out to UTA and COE Dean’s Excellence Fund).

Mass celebrating Bill’s life will be 10:00 am, Saturday, July 18, 2015 at St. Michael Catholic Church, 1801 Sage Rd. Houston, Texas 77056. A private family burial will follow.