Patricia Shizuko Johnson Ottem was born in Tokyo, Japan on June 20, 1948 to Walter and Shizuko Okabe Johnson. She died June 6, 2025 after six years living with Alzheimer’s dementia.
Patti’s family
moved to Hawaii when she was six months old and returned to Japan when she was
five. The family moved to Broomfield,
Colorado in 1964 where she graduated from Broomfield High School in 1966. Her family helped her move into the
dormitories on the campus of Colorado State College and left for Hawaii where
her father had taken a job.
Patti graduated
from University of Northern Colorado on March 14, 1970 with degrees in art and
elementary education. A week after
graduation, she married Steven Ottem and began a life that they shared for 55
years. Two daughters, Letitia born in
1979 and LeAndra born in 1982 completed the family.
Patti was always
a teacher. She taught 5th grade in Atwood, Kansas for 17 years,
taught one year in Fort Morgan, Colorado and substituted in area schools after
they returned to Atwood in 1988. She
also taught Japanese at summer language camp in Salina, Kansas for Kansas Wesleyan
University. She taught Chinese and
Japanese cooking and calligraphy for Colby Community College.
Patti’s interests
ranged far and wide. She said she was a Gemini which explained her many
pursuits. In Hawaii during summer breaks from college, she worked as cohost and
deejay on radio station KZOO and emceed a Polynesian show in Waikiki,
translating for Japanese tourists.
She dabbled in several art forms including
jewelry-making, stained glass, wood carving, flower arranging, and more. She was a talented seamstress who made prom
dresses and suits for her daughters. She enjoyed displaying and explaining her
kimono collection at various museums and quilt shops in the Fort
Collins-Loveland area.
Other interests
included dancing, especially hula dancing. She would happily show you how to
hula. The family moved from Kansas to Loveland when Patti became Obaa-chan,
grandmother. She and Steve could be
found most Monday evenings dancing in Loveland or Fort Collins senior centers.
Patti ran a shaved ice business for many
years. The Lincoln County Fair in Hugo Colorado could not be officially in
session until the shaved ice booth opened!
Many of the kids who lined up for a treat over the years came back as
adults and brought their kids to enjoy a shaved ice.
Patti loved to
travel. She was able to visit Mexico,
Canada, Germany, the British Isles, Ghana Africa, Denmark, Italy, and
Iceland. She returned to Japan several
times, often visiting relatives.
In Patti’s
kitchen, chop sticks often took precedence over silverware. She proudly maintained her Japanese heritage,
especially through food. The highlight
of the holiday season was New Years’ Day when she spent hours preparing all the
foods that were traditional in Japan. It
was a joy to her to share that day with neighbors and often with foreign
exchange students. Her daughters took
over the food preparation when Patti was no longer able to, and the Japanese
traditions live on in her family.
Patti’s real love was quilting. She belonged to quilt guilds in Atwood,
McCook Nebraska, and Longmont Colorado.
She held memberships in Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum and Colorado
Quilting Council. Fellow quilters admired
her tight stitches and her attention to detail.
She leaves many table runners and wall hangings as a
testament to her skill.
Patti
was preceded in death by both her parents and a brother-in-law. Surviving are her husband Steve, daughters
Tisha and LeAndra, son-in-law Justin, grandchildren Bronson and Ealie, sister
Michelle, brother-in-law Doug, niece Izumi,
nephew Seiji and Steve’s siblings and their families.
The celebration of Patti’s life took place Monday June 23, 2025, 3-5 p.m. at Berthoud Brewing in Loveland.
