Karen Jo Ottem

Karen Jo Ottem, 65, of Seaside, died July 23, 2024, at Oregon Health Sciences University Hospital ICU, Portland, OR, of complications of diabetes.

She was born August 5, 1958, at Laon AB, France, to Lt. Col. Gerald Arthur Ottem and Josephine Lucille (Kelly) Ottem. She lived there with her family in the village of Charmes, France, for two years, then began the journey of military life with family to Eglin AFB, FL, Andrews AFB, MD, and Ramstein AB (West) Germany, finishing Grade School and Junior High School at Ramstein AB. In 1973 her father retired from the USAF and moved the family to Munich, (West) Germany, where he became employed at MBB to work on a NATO aircraft project. After graduating from the Munich American High School she attended the University of Maryland Munich Campus. She remained in (West) Germany until 1983 then moved to Atlanta, GA, to take a position with Spiegel. In 1994, she transferred to the Spiegel-owned bank in Beaverton, OR, to be closer to family. In 1995, she purchased an office and art supply business in Seaside, OR, "Aardwulf" (formerly known as "The Stationery Store"), and later purchased a commercial property on S. Holladay Dr., in Seaside and moved the business renaming it "The Paper Clip". Many of her customers and other small business owners became good friends, and she welcomed their pets since she always brought "Klaus" and "Simone" to work.

Throughout the years while living in Seaside, many of her true and solid friends from her "growing up" years in (West) Germany visited from Europe and across the U.S. and reminisced about the many great adventures and fun memories they shared when traveling throughout Europe and the Middle East.

She was preceded in death by her father in 2008, her mother in 1991, and a brother, Capt. Richard Kelly Ottem, USAF Pilot, in 1975.

She is survived by a sister Lynn Ottem of Seaside, brother and sister-in-law Mark (Buz) and Janet Ottem of Seaside, nephew Jacob Ottem of Seaside, and niece Dana (Ottem) Corder of Seaside. She has cousins in Alaska, Texas, and relatives in Norway.

She will be remembered as someone you wanted to be with in good times and bad because of her incredibly beautiful spirit, always cheerful, happy, and fun, beautiful smile, great sister, great person, and great friend... a ray of sunshine.

A Celebration of Life for Karen Jo Ottem, 08/05/1958-07/23/2024, will be held on Saturday, September 14th, 2024, at 2:00 PM, at Hughes Ransom Mortuary (Memorial Chapel) in Seaside. Address: 220 N Holladay Dr., Seaside, OR 97138