Otto was born in Bjaelkerup, near the village of Store Heddinge, Denmark. His father, Jorgen Petersen (1849-1925), built houses and taught Otto the carpentry trade. His mother was Christiane Hansen (1850-1925). He was named "Otto" because he was the eighth child in the family. His older sisters Ane Marie and Gaete were twins.
Otto's brother Peter ran a chair factory in Store Heddinge, and Otto gained more carpentry experience while working for him. Peter built the pews for the old church in Store Heddinge.
In 1907 Otto traveled alone to the United States. The 17 year old served as a coal stoker to pay for his passage. He spent time in New York, Detroit, and Minneapolis before returning to Denmark. His daughter Mary recalled, "My dad was always wanting to go someplace. He was a wanderer at heart, anxious to try new things."
Sometime around 1910 Otto began dating Maren Henriksen, the daughter of a "wagon man" in the neighboring village of Klippinge.
In April 1913 Otto returned to the United States, this time with his girlfriend Maren and his sister Marie ("Rie") as chaperone. They sailed aboard RMS Mauretania from Liverpool to New York, and then continued by rail to Detroit. They ended up in Racine, WI, where Otto worked for the Mitchell Lewis Motor Company, building wooden car body frames. Maren and Rie took jobs as house cleaners and dishwashers. In Maren's signature book, Otto wrote the following (in English) in April 1914:
"But hwen we get old and grey: Mary!
and the trials of life nearly done.
We will sing of the days that are gone by
when you and I were young! Otto"
While they were in Racine, Otto's sister Rie married a Danish-American man (Andreas Jensen). They decided to return to Denmark to start their family. Otto and Maren wanted to return as well, but the US authorities wouldn't let them travel together as an unmarried couple so they married May 10, 1915 in Racine, Wisconsin. They sailed home to Denmark not long thereafter, no doubt concerned about German submarines. (RMS Lusitania, sister ship of the Mauretania, had recently been torpedoed and sunk.)
Back in Copenhagen, Otto and Maren partnered with his sister Gaete and ran a creamery. Otto and Maren had four children while home in Denmark, Allice (b. 1917), Holger (Pete, b. 1919), Mary (b. 1924), and John (Tunny, b. 1926).
Otto traveled to Detroit, Michigan in January of 1919, arriving in New York on the SS. Hellig Olav. He lists his wife Maren as residing in Bjaelkerup near Store Heddinge, with Store Heddinge listed as his last residence. It's unclear why he travelled to Detroit, or how long he stayed, but he returned to Denmark.
Otto lost his mother and father in 1924 and 1925. The following year he made the decision to move his family to America, over Maren's objections. He was unable to gain entry visas for the United States and so he changed plans and looked to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where a large number of Danish immigrants had settled. He sailed to the United States aboard the SS Deutschland in August of 1926, along with a cousin, Karl Evald. They arrived at New York and listed Manitoba as their destination. Otto made arrangements for Maren and the children to immigrate and found work. Back in Denmark his family began preparations to follow him to Canada.
Maren and the children left Denmark in July 1927, sailing on the steamer SS Hellig Olaf from Copenhagen to Halifax. Otto met them in Halifax and the reunited family travelled 2,200 miles by rail to Manitoba. They settled in Charleswood, a small prairie town near Winnipeg, among a large expatriate Danish community. Their "temporary" detour to Canada ultimately lasted 13 years, from 1927 to 1940.
After renting rooms, Otto bought a small plot of land on Oakdale Dr. and Grant Ave. (presently the location of Charleswood Jr. High). He converted an old chicken shed on the property into a three room house with kitchen, living area, and family bedroom. The house had no indoor plumbing or electricity. He built a new structure to serve as a chicken coop, which became a running joke that he housed the chickens better than the family. They grew vegetables in a kitchen gargen, kept a cow and a horse, and usually had a couple of pigs. One of the first things they bought in Charleswood was a used piano. Eventually Otto saved enough money to buy a used 1926 Ford Model T, 2 door hard top.
Otto provided for his family during the Great Depression by raising chickens, selling eggs, and taking any carpentry work he could find. Often times he traveled with other Danish men in the area to take temporary work as carpenters in remote mining camps, including the Vanson Mines. They would be gone for months. He served for many years as a carpenter for Hambly Hatchery, building structures for chickens for $5 a week plus a few extra chicks here and there. When Mary needed her tonsils removed, she recalled Otto saving money for months to pay for the procedure. The children had three sets of clothes, one for school, one for play, and one for formal events. Most of it came from friends as hand-me-downs. His family never went hungry, and never went on welfare. Mary recalled they ate a lot of chicken.
Otto loved classical music, band music, Danish folk, polka, and later, American western music. His crank-up record player was well used, with Strauss' "Emperor's Waltz" among his favorites. He played the violin passably and a little bit of piano, mainly using the black keys to hammer out Danish folk music , waltzes, and schottisches. On weekends their Danish friends would come out to their farm for parties. Otto threw down wooden planks across his pasture and they had dances, using the crank up record player as well as live music if enough people brought instruments. They had a piano in the house for most of his life, no matter how poor they were.
Throughout the 1930's, Otto tried repeatedly to gain approval to immigrate to the United States. In the late 1930's, he and his oldest son, Holger "Pete", drove the '26 Model T from Manitoba to California in the middle of winter. It was -48 deg F the day they left. They improvised a heater by wrapping an old coffee can around the exhaust and porting the slightly heated air into the cab. They entered the United States illegally and worked for a few months with relatives near San Jose, California, before being caught and deported. According to family legend, they buried the '25 Model T in the backyard of his sister's house on N. 11th street in San Jose.
In the spring of 1940 they finally were cleared to immigrate to the United States. The Petersen family settled in San Jose, California. His older brother Pete and sister Marie were already living there with their families.
Both of Otto's sons served their newly adopted country as soldiers in WWII. The family lived at 444 N. 11th st. in San Jose. Otto's sister Marie and husband Andreas lived down the block from Otto at 259 S. 11th st.
Otto became a general contractor, eventually building many homes in the Santa Clara valley. In his WWII draft registration card, his physical description is 5'10", 200lbs, brown hair and blue eyes, with a "ruddy" complexion. His left index finger was listed as injured and scarred, no doubt from a carpentry mishap.
In the 1940's and beyond he played his radio and records constantly. The Grand 'Ol Opry was a favorite. He also loved Dude Martin, a west coast "western swing" band leader, and went to see him perform at a dance hall near the Hotel De Anza in San Jose.
He and Maren enjoyed a full life among an extended family of Danish immigrants in their adopted home of San Jose, along with their own growing family, which included many cousins, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Otto died of a heart attack in October 1971, a week after a physical exam where his doctor pronounced him fit as a horse, telling him, "I wish I had a heart like yours!".
Otto's brother Peter ran a chair factory in Store Heddinge, and Otto gained more carpentry experience while working for him. Peter built the pews for the old church in Store Heddinge.
In 1907 Otto traveled alone to the United States. The 17 year old served as a coal stoker to pay for his passage. He spent time in New York, Detroit, and Minneapolis before returning to Denmark. His daughter Mary recalled, "My dad was always wanting to go someplace. He was a wanderer at heart, anxious to try new things."
Sometime around 1910 Otto began dating Maren Henriksen, the daughter of a "wagon man" in the neighboring village of Klippinge.
In April 1913 Otto returned to the United States, this time with his girlfriend Maren and his sister Marie ("Rie") as chaperone. They sailed aboard RMS Mauretania from Liverpool to New York, and then continued by rail to Detroit. They ended up in Racine, WI, where Otto worked for the Mitchell Lewis Motor Company, building wooden car body frames. Maren and Rie took jobs as house cleaners and dishwashers. In Maren's signature book, Otto wrote the following (in English) in April 1914:
"But hwen we get old and grey: Mary!
and the trials of life nearly done.
We will sing of the days that are gone by
when you and I were young! Otto"
While they were in Racine, Otto's sister Rie married a Danish-American man (Andreas Jensen). They decided to return to Denmark to start their family. Otto and Maren wanted to return as well, but the US authorities wouldn't let them travel together as an unmarried couple so they married May 10, 1915 in Racine, Wisconsin. They sailed home to Denmark not long thereafter, no doubt concerned about German submarines. (RMS Lusitania, sister ship of the Mauretania, had recently been torpedoed and sunk.)
Back in Copenhagen, Otto and Maren partnered with his sister Gaete and ran a creamery. Otto and Maren had four children while home in Denmark, Allice (b. 1917), Holger (Pete, b. 1919), Mary (b. 1924), and John (Tunny, b. 1926).
Otto traveled to Detroit, Michigan in January of 1919, arriving in New York on the SS. Hellig Olav. He lists his wife Maren as residing in Bjaelkerup near Store Heddinge, with Store Heddinge listed as his last residence. It's unclear why he travelled to Detroit, or how long he stayed, but he returned to Denmark.
Otto lost his mother and father in 1924 and 1925. The following year he made the decision to move his family to America, over Maren's objections. He was unable to gain entry visas for the United States and so he changed plans and looked to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where a large number of Danish immigrants had settled. He sailed to the United States aboard the SS Deutschland in August of 1926, along with a cousin, Karl Evald. They arrived at New York and listed Manitoba as their destination. Otto made arrangements for Maren and the children to immigrate and found work. Back in Denmark his family began preparations to follow him to Canada.
Maren and the children left Denmark in July 1927, sailing on the steamer SS Hellig Olaf from Copenhagen to Halifax. Otto met them in Halifax and the reunited family travelled 2,200 miles by rail to Manitoba. They settled in Charleswood, a small prairie town near Winnipeg, among a large expatriate Danish community. Their "temporary" detour to Canada ultimately lasted 13 years, from 1927 to 1940.
After renting rooms, Otto bought a small plot of land on Oakdale Dr. and Grant Ave. (presently the location of Charleswood Jr. High). He converted an old chicken shed on the property into a three room house with kitchen, living area, and family bedroom. The house had no indoor plumbing or electricity. He built a new structure to serve as a chicken coop, which became a running joke that he housed the chickens better than the family. They grew vegetables in a kitchen gargen, kept a cow and a horse, and usually had a couple of pigs. One of the first things they bought in Charleswood was a used piano. Eventually Otto saved enough money to buy a used 1926 Ford Model T, 2 door hard top.
Otto provided for his family during the Great Depression by raising chickens, selling eggs, and taking any carpentry work he could find. Often times he traveled with other Danish men in the area to take temporary work as carpenters in remote mining camps, including the Vanson Mines. They would be gone for months. He served for many years as a carpenter for Hambly Hatchery, building structures for chickens for $5 a week plus a few extra chicks here and there. When Mary needed her tonsils removed, she recalled Otto saving money for months to pay for the procedure. The children had three sets of clothes, one for school, one for play, and one for formal events. Most of it came from friends as hand-me-downs. His family never went hungry, and never went on welfare. Mary recalled they ate a lot of chicken.
Otto loved classical music, band music, Danish folk, polka, and later, American western music. His crank-up record player was well used, with Strauss' "Emperor's Waltz" among his favorites. He played the violin passably and a little bit of piano, mainly using the black keys to hammer out Danish folk music , waltzes, and schottisches. On weekends their Danish friends would come out to their farm for parties. Otto threw down wooden planks across his pasture and they had dances, using the crank up record player as well as live music if enough people brought instruments. They had a piano in the house for most of his life, no matter how poor they were.
Throughout the 1930's, Otto tried repeatedly to gain approval to immigrate to the United States. In the late 1930's, he and his oldest son, Holger "Pete", drove the '26 Model T from Manitoba to California in the middle of winter. It was -48 deg F the day they left. They improvised a heater by wrapping an old coffee can around the exhaust and porting the slightly heated air into the cab. They entered the United States illegally and worked for a few months with relatives near San Jose, California, before being caught and deported. According to family legend, they buried the '25 Model T in the backyard of his sister's house on N. 11th street in San Jose.
In the spring of 1940 they finally were cleared to immigrate to the United States. The Petersen family settled in San Jose, California. His older brother Pete and sister Marie were already living there with their families.
Both of Otto's sons served their newly adopted country as soldiers in WWII. The family lived at 444 N. 11th st. in San Jose. Otto's sister Marie and husband Andreas lived down the block from Otto at 259 S. 11th st.
Otto became a general contractor, eventually building many homes in the Santa Clara valley. In his WWII draft registration card, his physical description is 5'10", 200lbs, brown hair and blue eyes, with a "ruddy" complexion. His left index finger was listed as injured and scarred, no doubt from a carpentry mishap.
In the 1940's and beyond he played his radio and records constantly. The Grand 'Ol Opry was a favorite. He also loved Dude Martin, a west coast "western swing" band leader, and went to see him perform at a dance hall near the Hotel De Anza in San Jose.
He and Maren enjoyed a full life among an extended family of Danish immigrants in their adopted home of San Jose, along with their own growing family, which included many cousins, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Otto died of a heart attack in October 1971, a week after a physical exam where his doctor pronounced him fit as a horse, telling him, "I wish I had a heart like yours!".
Otto was born in Bjaelkerup, near the village of Store Heddinge, Denmark. His father, Jorgen Petersen (1849-1925), built houses and taught Otto the carpentry trade. His mother was Christiane Hansen (1850-1925). He was named "Otto" because he was the eighth child in the family. His older sisters Ane Marie and Gaete were twins.
Otto's brother Peter ran a chair factory in Store Heddinge, and Otto gained more carpentry experience while working for him. Peter built the pews for the old church in Store Heddinge.
In 1907 Otto traveled alone to the United States. The 17 year old served as a coal stoker to pay for his passage. He spent time in New York, Detroit, and Minneapolis before returning to Denmark. His daughter Mary recalled, "My dad was always wanting to go someplace. He was a wanderer at heart, anxious to try new things."
Sometime around 1910 Otto began dating Maren Henriksen, the daughter of a "wagon man" in the neighboring village of Klippinge.
In April 1913 Otto returned to the United States, this time with his girlfriend Maren and his sister Marie ("Rie") as chaperone. They sailed aboard RMS Mauretania from Liverpool to New York, and then continued by rail to Detroit. They ended up in Racine, WI, where Otto worked for the Mitchell Lewis Motor Company, building wooden car body frames. Maren and Rie took jobs as house cleaners and dishwashers. In Maren's signature book, Otto wrote the following (in English) in April 1914:
"But hwen we get old and grey: Mary!
and the trials of life nearly done.
We will sing of the days that are gone by
when you and I were young! Otto"
While they were in Racine, Otto's sister Rie married a Danish-American man (Andreas Jensen). They decided to return to Denmark to start their family. Otto and Maren wanted to return as well, but the US authorities wouldn't let them travel together as an unmarried couple so they married May 10, 1915 in Racine, Wisconsin. They sailed home to Denmark not long thereafter, no doubt concerned about German submarines. (RMS Lusitania, sister ship of the Mauretania, had recently been torpedoed and sunk.)
Back in Copenhagen, Otto and Maren partnered with his sister Gaete and ran a creamery. Otto and Maren had four children while home in Denmark, Allice (b. 1917), Holger (Pete, b. 1919), Mary (b. 1924), and John (Tunny, b. 1926).
Otto traveled to Detroit, Michigan in January of 1919, arriving in New York on the SS. Hellig Olav. He lists his wife Maren as residing in Bjaelkerup near Store Heddinge, with Store Heddinge listed as his last residence. It's unclear why he travelled to Detroit, or how long he stayed, but he returned to Denmark.
Otto lost his mother and father in 1924 and 1925. The following year he made the decision to move his family to America, over Maren's objections. He was unable to gain entry visas for the United States and so he changed plans and looked to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where a large number of Danish immigrants had settled. He sailed to the United States aboard the SS Deutschland in August of 1926, along with a cousin, Karl Evald. They arrived at New York and listed Manitoba as their destination. Otto made arrangements for Maren and the children to immigrate and found work. Back in Denmark his family began preparations to follow him to Canada.
Maren and the children left Denmark in July 1927, sailing on the steamer SS Hellig Olaf from Copenhagen to Halifax. Otto met them in Halifax and the reunited family travelled 2,200 miles by rail to Manitoba. They settled in Charleswood, a small prairie town near Winnipeg, among a large expatriate Danish community. Their "temporary" detour to Canada ultimately lasted 13 years, from 1927 to 1940.
After renting rooms, Otto bought a small plot of land on Oakdale Dr. and Grant Ave. (presently the location of Charleswood Jr. High). He converted an old chicken shed on the property into a three room house with kitchen, living area, and family bedroom. The house had no indoor plumbing or electricity. He built a new structure to serve as a chicken coop, which became a running joke that he housed the chickens better than the family. They grew vegetables in a kitchen gargen, kept a cow and a horse, and usually had a couple of pigs. One of the first things they bought in Charleswood was a used piano. Eventually Otto saved enough money to buy a used 1926 Ford Model T, 2 door hard top.
Otto provided for his family during the Great Depression by raising chickens, selling eggs, and taking any carpentry work he could find. Often times he traveled with other Danish men in the area to take temporary work as carpenters in remote mining camps, including the Vanson Mines. They would be gone for months. He served for many years as a carpenter for Hambly Hatchery, building structures for chickens for $5 a week plus a few extra chicks here and there. When Mary needed her tonsils removed, she recalled Otto saving money for months to pay for the procedure. The children had three sets of clothes, one for school, one for play, and one for formal events. Most of it came from friends as hand-me-downs. His family never went hungry, and never went on welfare. Mary recalled they ate a lot of chicken.
Otto loved classical music, band music, Danish folk, polka, and later, American western music. His crank-up record player was well used, with Strauss' "Emperor's Waltz" among his favorites. He played the violin passably and a little bit of piano, mainly using the black keys to hammer out Danish folk music , waltzes, and schottisches. On weekends their Danish friends would come out to their farm for parties. Otto threw down wooden planks across his pasture and they had dances, using the crank up record player as well as live music if enough people brought instruments. They had a piano in the house for most of his life, no matter how poor they were.
Throughout the 1930's, Otto tried repeatedly to gain approval to immigrate to the United States. In the late 1930's, he and his oldest son, Holger "Pete", drove the '26 Model T from Manitoba to California in the middle of winter. It was -48 deg F the day they left. They improvised a heater by wrapping an old coffee can around the exhaust and porting the slightly heated air into the cab. They entered the United States illegally and worked for a few months with relatives near San Jose, California, before being caught and deported. According to family legend, they buried the '25 Model T in the backyard of his sister's house on N. 11th street in San Jose.
In the spring of 1940 they finally were cleared to immigrate to the United States. The Petersen family settled in San Jose, California. His older brother Pete and sister Marie were already living there with their families.
Both of Otto's sons served their newly adopted country as soldiers in WWII. The family lived at 444 N. 11th st. in San Jose. Otto's sister Marie and husband Andreas lived down the block from Otto at 259 S. 11th st.
Otto became a general contractor, eventually building many homes in the Santa Clara valley. In his WWII draft registration card, his physical description is 5'10", 200lbs, brown hair and blue eyes, with a "ruddy" complexion. His left index finger was listed as injured and scarred, no doubt from a carpentry mishap.
In the 1940's and beyond he played his radio and records constantly. The Grand 'Ol Opry was a favorite. He also loved Dude Martin, a west coast "western swing" band leader, and went to see him perform at a dance hall near the Hotel De Anza in San Jose.
He and Maren enjoyed a full life among an extended family of Danish immigrants in their adopted home of San Jose, along with their own growing family, which included many cousins, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Otto died of a heart attack in October 1971, a week after a physical exam where his doctor pronounced him fit as a horse, telling him, "I wish I had a heart like yours!".
Otto's brother Peter ran a chair factory in Store Heddinge, and Otto gained more carpentry experience while working for him. Peter built the pews for the old church in Store Heddinge.
In 1907 Otto traveled alone to the United States. The 17 year old served as a coal stoker to pay for his passage. He spent time in New York, Detroit, and Minneapolis before returning to Denmark. His daughter Mary recalled, "My dad was always wanting to go someplace. He was a wanderer at heart, anxious to try new things."
Sometime around 1910 Otto began dating Maren Henriksen, the daughter of a "wagon man" in the neighboring village of Klippinge.
In April 1913 Otto returned to the United States, this time with his girlfriend Maren and his sister Marie ("Rie") as chaperone. They sailed aboard RMS Mauretania from Liverpool to New York, and then continued by rail to Detroit. They ended up in Racine, WI, where Otto worked for the Mitchell Lewis Motor Company, building wooden car body frames. Maren and Rie took jobs as house cleaners and dishwashers. In Maren's signature book, Otto wrote the following (in English) in April 1914:
"But hwen we get old and grey: Mary!
and the trials of life nearly done.
We will sing of the days that are gone by
when you and I were young! Otto"
While they were in Racine, Otto's sister Rie married a Danish-American man (Andreas Jensen). They decided to return to Denmark to start their family. Otto and Maren wanted to return as well, but the US authorities wouldn't let them travel together as an unmarried couple so they married May 10, 1915 in Racine, Wisconsin. They sailed home to Denmark not long thereafter, no doubt concerned about German submarines. (RMS Lusitania, sister ship of the Mauretania, had recently been torpedoed and sunk.)
Back in Copenhagen, Otto and Maren partnered with his sister Gaete and ran a creamery. Otto and Maren had four children while home in Denmark, Allice (b. 1917), Holger (Pete, b. 1919), Mary (b. 1924), and John (Tunny, b. 1926).
Otto traveled to Detroit, Michigan in January of 1919, arriving in New York on the SS. Hellig Olav. He lists his wife Maren as residing in Bjaelkerup near Store Heddinge, with Store Heddinge listed as his last residence. It's unclear why he travelled to Detroit, or how long he stayed, but he returned to Denmark.
Otto lost his mother and father in 1924 and 1925. The following year he made the decision to move his family to America, over Maren's objections. He was unable to gain entry visas for the United States and so he changed plans and looked to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where a large number of Danish immigrants had settled. He sailed to the United States aboard the SS Deutschland in August of 1926, along with a cousin, Karl Evald. They arrived at New York and listed Manitoba as their destination. Otto made arrangements for Maren and the children to immigrate and found work. Back in Denmark his family began preparations to follow him to Canada.
Maren and the children left Denmark in July 1927, sailing on the steamer SS Hellig Olaf from Copenhagen to Halifax. Otto met them in Halifax and the reunited family travelled 2,200 miles by rail to Manitoba. They settled in Charleswood, a small prairie town near Winnipeg, among a large expatriate Danish community. Their "temporary" detour to Canada ultimately lasted 13 years, from 1927 to 1940.
After renting rooms, Otto bought a small plot of land on Oakdale Dr. and Grant Ave. (presently the location of Charleswood Jr. High). He converted an old chicken shed on the property into a three room house with kitchen, living area, and family bedroom. The house had no indoor plumbing or electricity. He built a new structure to serve as a chicken coop, which became a running joke that he housed the chickens better than the family. They grew vegetables in a kitchen gargen, kept a cow and a horse, and usually had a couple of pigs. One of the first things they bought in Charleswood was a used piano. Eventually Otto saved enough money to buy a used 1926 Ford Model T, 2 door hard top.
Otto provided for his family during the Great Depression by raising chickens, selling eggs, and taking any carpentry work he could find. Often times he traveled with other Danish men in the area to take temporary work as carpenters in remote mining camps, including the Vanson Mines. They would be gone for months. He served for many years as a carpenter for Hambly Hatchery, building structures for chickens for $5 a week plus a few extra chicks here and there. When Mary needed her tonsils removed, she recalled Otto saving money for months to pay for the procedure. The children had three sets of clothes, one for school, one for play, and one for formal events. Most of it came from friends as hand-me-downs. His family never went hungry, and never went on welfare. Mary recalled they ate a lot of chicken.
Otto loved classical music, band music, Danish folk, polka, and later, American western music. His crank-up record player was well used, with Strauss' "Emperor's Waltz" among his favorites. He played the violin passably and a little bit of piano, mainly using the black keys to hammer out Danish folk music , waltzes, and schottisches. On weekends their Danish friends would come out to their farm for parties. Otto threw down wooden planks across his pasture and they had dances, using the crank up record player as well as live music if enough people brought instruments. They had a piano in the house for most of his life, no matter how poor they were.
Throughout the 1930's, Otto tried repeatedly to gain approval to immigrate to the United States. In the late 1930's, he and his oldest son, Holger "Pete", drove the '26 Model T from Manitoba to California in the middle of winter. It was -48 deg F the day they left. They improvised a heater by wrapping an old coffee can around the exhaust and porting the slightly heated air into the cab. They entered the United States illegally and worked for a few months with relatives near San Jose, California, before being caught and deported. According to family legend, they buried the '25 Model T in the backyard of his sister's house on N. 11th street in San Jose.
In the spring of 1940 they finally were cleared to immigrate to the United States. The Petersen family settled in San Jose, California. His older brother Pete and sister Marie were already living there with their families.
Both of Otto's sons served their newly adopted country as soldiers in WWII. The family lived at 444 N. 11th st. in San Jose. Otto's sister Marie and husband Andreas lived down the block from Otto at 259 S. 11th st.
Otto became a general contractor, eventually building many homes in the Santa Clara valley. In his WWII draft registration card, his physical description is 5'10", 200lbs, brown hair and blue eyes, with a "ruddy" complexion. His left index finger was listed as injured and scarred, no doubt from a carpentry mishap.
In the 1940's and beyond he played his radio and records constantly. The Grand 'Ol Opry was a favorite. He also loved Dude Martin, a west coast "western swing" band leader, and went to see him perform at a dance hall near the Hotel De Anza in San Jose.
He and Maren enjoyed a full life among an extended family of Danish immigrants in their adopted home of San Jose, along with their own growing family, which included many cousins, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Otto died of a heart attack in October 1971, a week after a physical exam where his doctor pronounced him fit as a horse, telling him, "I wish I had a heart like yours!".
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