Pius Ottiger

Pius "Philip" Ottiger, age 80, of Wildwood, Missouri, passed away on Thursday, September 29, 2022, on Mount Elbert in Colorado. He was born in Luzern, Switzerland on May 30, 1942, to Isidor Ottiger and Kresentia Ottiger-Ruttimann.
Philip is survived by his wife of 53 years, Sandra; daughters, Dominique (Colby) Dolly and Natalie (Christopher) Hammond; granddaughters, Cayla, Peyton, and Jacqueline; grandson, Daniel; brothers, Peter, Josef, Stefan, and Jacob; and sisters, Theres, Lisbeth, and Rita.
He was preceded in death by his father, Isidor Ottiger; mother, Kresentia Ottiger-Ruttimann; and brothers, Isidor and Leo.
Philip lived an extraordinary life. He was born on a dairy farm in Switzerland and was one of ten children. As a young man he served as a lieutenant in the Swiss Army after which he moved to Canada where he met and married his Australian wife, Sandy. He was a self-taught and successful businessperson working for several corporations in the pharmaceutical industry before retiring as the CEO of Bachem North America. He was truly a self-made man who achieved success on three different continents of the world.
He had a passion for adventure which we were all lucky to be a part of. Horse shows, scuba diving, mountaineering, and skiing were just a few of his countless passions. He maintained his adventurous spirit to the very end. He loved his family and after retirement enjoyed time with his beautiful grandchildren in St. Louis. Even after retirement he could be found stock trading in front of his countless computer monitors or working in his yard. He took his final trip up Mt. Elbert on September 29th where he passed in his beloved mountains. He was loved beyond measure, and we will miss him forever.
Memorial contributions may be made in Philip's honor to The Lake County Colorado Search and Rescue Organization (http://www.lakecountysar.org/).
In honor of those who tried to save him on Mount Elbert, donations can be made to Burnside Christian Church, c/o Mark Nichols, 803 Main Street, Carthage, Illinois 62321.
To share a memory of Philip or leave a special message for his family, please visit the guestbook below.