In Loving Memory ~
Otto Dan Fodor of Bluffton, Alberta passed away at the Rimbey Hospital and Care Centre on Thursday, February 2, 2023, at the age of 88 years.
Otto was born on October 15, 1934, to Mike and Helen Fodor on the farm by Warburg, Alberta. He was the fourth of five children.
Otto attended Rainier School until Grade 8, and then continued to help on the farm. When he was 21 years old, he left home to go to work. Otto worked at a sawmill and on the oil rigs before finally finding a job with the Department of Highways building bridges for nine years.
While working on a bridge by Donalda, Alberta, he met the love of his life, Vivian Rider, at a community dance and they were married six months later. They had two sons while travelling with the bridge crew and living in a 20-foot holiday trailer.
In 1963, Otto and Vivian bought a farm north of Bluffton, and they built a house where their third son and first daughter were born. They had a mixed farm with dairy, beef, pigs, and grain. He was very proud of growing seed oats that he sold to many people.
Otto and Vivian built a new house in 1968 with the help of good neighbours, and their final daughter was born there. Since Otto married a woman who lived by a lake, he learned that fishing was really fun! He enjoyed fishing from a boat even though he couldn't swim, and liked fishing much better on the ice.
Otto also loved auctions and garage sales, and was known to find a lot of prizes at the bottom of a box. After selling the dairy cows in 1984, Otto and Vivian spent more time travelling and went to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico, and the United States. They also took a bus tour across Canada.
When Otto finally retired from farming, he and Vivian went to dance jamborees all over Western Canada. He loved a good polka! Otto also enjoyed floor curling and participated until last year. He was known to be a very competitive player.
Otto loved his fifteen grandchildren. He taught them a love of fishing, cards, and was always good for a joke. He was also very proud of his three great-grandchildren.
Otto will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 62 years, Vivian; his three sons Leslie (Elaine) Fodor of Mirror, Alberta and their children Lisa (Graham), Kyle (Michelle), Michelle (Jesse), and Darin; Alan Fodor of Carvel, Alberta and his children Jack and Piper; and Harvey (Laura) Fodor of Red Deer and their children Cole (Emily) and Taylor; and his two daughters Darlene (Stephen) Went of Bluffton and their children Jeanine, Andrew (Rebecca), Chantel (Josh), and Ashley; and Joyce (Gerald) Willsie of Caroline and their children Brittany (Brodey), Erin, and Katelyn.
He will also be lovingly remembered by his three precious great-grandchildren Jason, Lyla, and Luke; his sister Helen Proskurnik of Calgary; as well as several other relatives and many close friends.
Otto was predeceased by his parents; one brother Frank; and two sisters Betty and Amy.
An Informal Gathering Celebrating the Life of Otto Fodor was held at the Hoadley Community Hall, Hoadley, Alberta on Thursday, February 9, 2023, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. If friends desire, memorial tributes in his memory may be made directly to the Hoadley Community Hall, Site 7, Box 30, R.R. 2, Bluffton, Alberta T0C 0M0; or to the charity of one's choice. Condolence messages may be forwarded to the family by visiting: www.ofc-ltd.ca
Cremation Arrangements for the Late Otto Dan Fodor entrusted to the care of Oberhammer Funeral Chapels Ltd.
Oberhammer Funeral Chapels Ltd.