Otto F. Borth, age 97, of Mankato, died Wednesday, July 1, 2009, at Pathstone Living in Mankato.

Funeral service will be 10:30 a.m., Monday, July 6, 2009, at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Mankato, with Rev. Ray Schultz officiating. Burial will be in Woodland Hills Memorial Park in Mankato. Visitation will be 3-5 p.m. on Sunday at Mankato Mortuary and continues one hour prior to the service at the church on Monday. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church or Pathstone Living.

Otto was born on March 24, 1912, in Wellington Township, rural Fairfax, MN. He was the son of Franc and Ottilia (Lehman) Borth. Otto attended school at Immanuel Lutheran Parochial School in Wellington Township. He was united in marriage to Rosella Wittenberg on October 7, 1936, in rural Gibbon. As a young man, Otto and his brother, Roy, would entertain family and friends with music on the accordion, harmonica and guitar. He farmed in rural Fairfax near Round Lake until 1961. Otto and Rosella moved to Mankato in 1965. He was a welder at Kayot Pontoons in Mankato and also painted houses for Krediet Construction. Otto was a member of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. He enjoyed woodworking, building birdhouses, bird watching, gardening and doing tasks for his children and grandchildren. Otto had been residing at Pathstone Living for the past eight years.

Otto is survived by his three daughters, Marlene Brown of Taos, NM, Diane (Norm) Krediet of Mankato and VerJean “Jeanie” (Ken) Nordby of Mankato; three sons, Verdell Borth of Chanhassen, Jerry (Diane) Borth of Mankato and DeMar (Melody) Borth of Mankato; 18 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; also many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Rosella in 2004; infant son, Dennis; one brother, Roy; sister, Loretta and twin sister, Oradella; and two sons-in-law, Tom Brown and Tom Otos.