Otto Schaudel

Otto Schaudel died on Thursday, May 16, 2019 of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Born on May 5, 1938 and raised in southwest Germany near the Black Forest, Otto immigrated to the United States in 1964. With a degree in agriculture, Otto began working on dairy farms in Loudoun County, Virginia, before moving to Lancaster County where he began a career of 32 years working for New Holland Machine Company (CNH). Otto will be greatly missed by his wife of 49 years Suzanne and their three children, daughter Christina married to Chip Miller of Brooklyn, NY, son Carlos of Lancaster and daughter Stephanie married to Pablo Espinoza of Oakland CA. Grandchildren Madeleine and Isabella Miller and Amaury Otto B’alam Espinoza Schaudel will miss their Opa immensely. He leaves behind two sisters in Germany, Marta Wendel and Helga Burtsche, and their families. Otto was known as a man who took up challenges and made things happen. He did everything from building desks, tables and chairs, bookshelves and beds, to knitting sweaters and socks for his grandchildren, to cooking and baking delicious German food. Otto was a longtime chairman of the Outreach Ministry Team of the Lancaster Church of the Brethren, inspiring the congregation to higher levels of outreach than many had thought possible. Under Otto’s leadership, the Lancaster Church of the Brethren sponsored refugees from Sudan and ethnic Turks from Russia. Otto served as president of the Lancaster Liederkranz when it moved out of Lancaster City to Salunga where the German club has grown and flourished. He sang with the Hobby Chor, the Lancaster Liederkranz mixed chorus and the Chancel Choir of the Lancaster Church of the Brethren. Twice Otto and Suzanne organized very successful church choir trips to Germany. As a toolmaker and engineer with New Holland Machine Company (CNH), Otto moved his family to Brazil from 1974-1977, where he was in charge of all the tooling aspects of setting up a new factory specializing in building combines in Curitiba. Otto retired from CNH in 1999. A memorial service of celebration of Otto Schaudel’s life will be held at the Lancaster Church of the Brethren, 1601 Sunset Ave, Lancaster on Saturday, June 29, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. Contributions can be made in his name to the Lancaster Church of the Brethren for the Haiti Medical Project.