"Otto Schmidt Passes" Topic

Some VERY Sad News. It has been reported on the Society of Daisy Yahoo Group by one of its members that Otto Schmidt (of SOCDAISY and THE WEEKEND fame) passed away last night, I assume due to complications with heart surgery he had or was due to have. The Group Admin indicated Dot was making phone calls personally right now.

Damn, damn, damn, damn.

Colonel Bill

TMP link

Really sad news. Otto was one of the lights in the hobby. I regret now never making it to a Weekend. RIP and condolences to his family.

I regret now never making it to a Weekend

It was really a nice little convention. There weren't many dealers (one or two showed up occasionally) and it was very small. But we had a great time when we attended.

Before Otto passed, he placed the seeds of continuation for both Society of Daisys and The Weekend. He appointed people to run things in his absence. I'm hoping the convention continues to run.

Time will tell…

As I said before, Otto – rest peacefully old friend…

Very sad – a great guy and a huge loss

Otto spent 3 days "getting his affairs in order" before his bypass surgery. He was convinced the Maine doctors were going to kill him. So let's hope his 'affairs' are in order, and Dot can pass the reigns to the second generation of The Weekend, a fun filled weekend of playful games, serious games and a great 'mosh pit' where we all sat around and solved the problems of the world, at least at the wargaming level.

As a Society member I found Otto to be irascible, opinionated, knowledgeable, open handed and curmudgeonly. I 'memorable character'whose rants I respected and enjoyed, whose commentary on life made sense to my aging values and whose sense of ethical right and wrong were steadfast and unwavering. I'll miss his diatribes and polemics.

RIP Otto, you are already missed.

Oyyo had 6 bypasses done about 10 days ago. He was able to come home late last week after having several post-surgery complications.

While I never met him personally, I felt him to be a friend through shared interests, correspondence, and the Society of Daisy.

Otto, not Oyyo.

Oh man. I never met Otto in real life, only knew him and occasionally conversed with him over the years here on TMP. Often enjoyed and was infrequently annoyed by his musings and occasional diatribes on life, the universe, and everything gaming-related -- with his particular emphasis on the Age of Enlightenment, of course. He was one of a handful of TMP members whose banishment bummed me out, and left me feeling like this site was lessened by his absence. Now I guess the world at large is lessened. Wish I'd met him in person, and like Nick Nascati above, wish I'd made it to at least one of his "The Weekend" conventions, which always sound like great fun. May he Rest In Peace and may his Memory be a Blessing for those who knew and loved him.

Narratio, you sum the man up pretty well. He was an irascible character that stood out in a hobby already filled with characters of all sorts. Not a lot like him. He'll be missed by those he came in contact with. I'm glad I met him in person and made it to a few Weekends.

So his bypasses were not successful? Does anyone know exactly what happened?

Colonel Bill

That is sad. My condolences to his family.

JohnG

link

Sad news indeed. I will miss Otto. We had many a good chats at the conventions. At one The Weekend, we went out dinner with Cleo, Bob and my wife. Otto and I got into a loud, heated argument on legalizing marijuana – Otto and I were having a great time going at each other while the rest were afraid we were going to be thrown out of the restaurant for creating a disturbance. Otto was one of those treasures with whom you could have these loud, heated arguments and not only not take it personally, but enjoy the heck out of it.

Too many friends are passing on to the Eternal Wargaming Club. I don't like it.

I am very sorry to hear this. I genuinely liked this fellow. He always had something to talk about; he made me feel welcome at the Weekend the few times I was able to attend.