Otto Paul Seida

Otto passed away peacefully on September 11th with family by his side shortly after suffering a debilitating stroke. He will be remembered for his creativity, quirky good humour, generosity, and devotion to his family and friends. Most who knew him well would affectionately describe him as “quite a character.”

With the help of a midwife, Otto Paul Seida, son of Otto Zigfried Seida and Leokadia (Timoficiuc), was born in the back of his grandfather’s butcher shop in Kalish, Poland, in 1942. Otto’s family, like so many others, endured great hardship during the Second World War and eventually found refuge in a camp in Denmark. When Otto was six years old, his family boarded a freighter bound for Canada, then continued by train to Assiniboia, Saskatchewan. Sadly, Otto’s brothers Titos and Horst did not survive to make the journey with them. Otto remembered that, during the train ride, all they had to eat were a few oranges.

The family was welcomed in Assiniboia by Otto’s Uncle Jakob and Aunt Vera, who had a claim on an old coal mine and offered them a place to stay. Otto remembered living with his family in a small shack with a wood stove, followed by an old granary which was slightly larger. Through those difficult early years, the family worked together and made the most of what they had. Later, Otto’s family moved from Assiniboia to the outskirts of Regina, where Otto and his brothers helped their father build the family home.

At Balfour Technical School in Regina, Otto discovered his passion for art and design. He began his career as a graphic artist at Mercury Press in Saskatoon, saving up enough money to buy a 1952 Ford Meteor that used more oil than gas. After a year or so, he set out for a new job in Thunder Bay, but the Meteor only made it as far as Regina. That unexpected breakdown proved fortunate, because Regina was where Otto met the love of his life, Evelyn Shaw. Otto and Evelyn married three years later in 1964 and welcomed their daughter, Tracey, in 1965.

On New Year’s Eve in 1965, Otto and Evelyn packed their few belongings into their car and moved to Colorado, U.S.A., so Otto could attend trade school to study typography. Their plans changed when they began to worry that Otto would be drafted to go to Vietnam, so the family returned to Regina instead. They welcomed their son, Christopher, in 1967.

Later, they moved again, this time to Winnipeg, where they finally unpacked their bags and put down roots. Otto continued his career in commercial arts and eventually opened his own business, DesignType. Evelyn opened her own business next door, The Shaw Gallery, in the building that is now Little Brown Jug on William Avenue. Together, they worked hard as small business owners, employing many people who would come to feel like family.

Later in life, Otto and Evelyn fell in love with the community of Pinawa, Manitoba, and made it their home, retiring there almost twenty years ago. They made many dear friends, especially through their volunteer work with the Pinawa Lions Club.

Otto’s world changed forever when Evelyn lost her battle with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in 2015, but with the support of close friends, neighbours, and family, he found his way forward.

Otto was, above all, a devoted family man. He deeply cherished his daughter Tracey (Jerry); his son Chris (Cynthia); his grandchildren Robbie, Daniel and Hunter; his sisters Alma Neiser (Victor), Lucy Grob (Phil), Hilda Gamble (Ron), and Ingrid Appel (Merv); his brothers Mickey Ceahorianu (Eva) and Arnold Seida (Isobel); his sister-in-law Barb Nesbitt (Bob); and his many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Otto was very clear that he did not want a formal funeral. Instead, he wished for a casual family gathering in his memory, with Chinese food—his favourite. Though his family is scattered around the country, they will do their best to honour his wish with love, gratitude, and many fond memories.

Those who knew Otto are invited to remember him in their own way—by sharing a story, enjoying a favourite meal, offering a simple act of kindness, or raising a glass to a life lived with humour, creativity, and character.

www.soberingfuneralchapel.com