Otto Julius Wied, 87
Otto Wied was born and brought up in Hell's Kitchen, New York City. His parents, Gladys Runge and Otto Wied, were German immigrants, and although proudly American, they treasured their German heritage. Otto's youngest days were often challenging, but he approached them as an opportunity for learning. His daily responsibilities in his family's modest luncheonette included delivering food and drink to Broadway theater performers, many of whom he befriended. He frequented all the City's world class museums. His early life experiences were deep and wide. His education never ended.
Otto attended the neighborhood public elementary school until a statewide test redirected his education. He was labeled "gifted" and was sent to an accelerated academic program at Hunter High School in NYC. Otto often joked that the reason he "aced the test" was because he was German, and could easily answer that "sauerkraut was made from cabbage."
His inner-city life changed profoundly when he was sent to the Boys' Athletic League Camp near Bear Mountain, New York. His strong connection to the natural world blossomed and never left him. He became a beloved nature counselor there.
To supplement his income, Otto caught rattlesnakes with his bare hands, placed the wriggling reptiles into pillow cases, then unabashedly rode the public bus back to the City's snake venom collecting agency. He housed many critters in his family's tiny flat: flying squirrels, Danny the Raccoon, and a very large black snake that fortunately was not venomous. On occasion, shrieks from neighbors alerted Otto that the serpent had slithered his way into other apartments.
From Hunter High School, Otto went on to Hunter College, and followed this with graduate work at the University of Wyoming, where he earned a Master's degree and many postgraduate credits in Geology. While in Wyoming, he supported his studies with employment as a cowboy at a local ranch. When he explored the west, he hunted and foraged for his own food. He slept in his rickety old Nash car, the first of his many dilapidated cars.
Otto returned east to join the Research Center at Sprague Electric in North Adams. His geology background enabled groundbreaking research that produced fundamental patents in the nascent semiconductor field. In the 1960's. Sprague was one of the major contributors to the Space Race. In 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts landed on the moon and deposited a silicon disk. This object, no bigger than a fifty-cent piece, contains the Apollo 11 Goodwill Messages from seventy-four countries. Now resting in the moon's Sea of Tranquility, this tiny disk represented a revolution in the way information is stored. Otto was one of the Sprague scientists who led the team that developed the disk.
In 1967 he met and married Donna Carlstrom, then an English teacher at Mount Greylock High School in Williamstown. On a very limited budget, he designed and helped build their home in the Hopper. They raised two children who were a constant source of pride for him. He adored his family and left a permanent imprint on their lives.
Otto had always loved sharing his knowledge and interesting perspectives on numerous subjects, so when he left the Sprague Research Center, he aspired to teach. As a substitute teacher, mostly at Mount Greylock High School, his students found that "MISTER Wied" was not the usual sub. Not only did he expect to teach, he expected students to learn. They created a web page in his name, documenting his numerous seemingly superhero qualities. His sometimes-curmudgeonly presence permeated the halls and classrooms. He substituted into his mid-eighties. Otto is remembered especially for his unique insights into math, science and history. He remains a legend there.
Throughout his life Otto took in injured animals, nursed them to health, then set them free. He befriended crows, squirrels and other assorted wildlife. Most recently, he assisted an orphaned bear cub who appeared at the basement door during a raging blizzard. Some suspect Otto offered the cub a peanut butter sandwich or two to hold him over before the little one returned to the woods.
Since retiring, Otto relished his daily walks up and down Hopper Road. He chatted with neighbors and freely gave advice, whether solicited or not. He joyfully tooled around in his 2003 VW Beetle, the last of his many dilapidated cars. Even in winter, if the day were warm and sunny, the tattered top would be down.
In his City years, he was soloist in several church choirs, accomplished figure skater, and champion diver. Throughout his life, he painted and sculpted. He was an aficionado of classical music, especially opera. He excelled in fields too many to mention. He was a Renaissance man.
On a warm, clear spring day, Otto left our world while doing what he loved: working in his gardens.
He leaves his wife of 57 years, Donna Carlstrom Wied; a daughter, Anna Wied Tanner, her husband, Karl Tanner, and their four boys, Adam, Samuel, Gabriel and John—all of Indianapolis, Indiana. He also leaves his son, Carl Wied, and Carl's wife, Katrina Klaus Wied, and their three children, Antonia, Maximillian, and Avery Wied—all of Williamstown. In addition, he leaves an older sister, Marian Epstein, and her three sons, Ronald, David and Philip. He leaves a sister-in-law, Rosemary Wied, and her two daughters, Elizabeth and Linda. Otto's younger brother, George, predeceased him.
People have asked how they can best honor Otto's memory. He would have approved of many ways. Some friends have expressed interest in donating to a charity. If so, we suggest:
Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation, 671 Cold Spring Road Williamstown, MA 01267
https-//rurallands.org/tribute-donation/
And, if Otto knew how much posting this obituary cost, and if he knew we were actually posting his photo as well, he would lower his brows, purse his lips—the infamous Otto glower—and grumble, "RIDICULOUS!"
Otto Julius Wied
August 25,1935 to April 27, 2023
A Life Well-Lived
