Support for the family of John Ottey

It is with great sadness and disbelief that we share the sudden and very unexpected passing of John Ottey. 

In response to an outpouring of friends, neighbors, and colleagues expressing their desire to help, we created this GoFundMe as a way for those both near and far to be able to lend their support during this time of grieving and to assist the Ottey family with  navigating the uncertain path forward without John being here. 

John leaves behind Amber, his loving wife and best friend of 18 years, and their two young children, Vivien and Callum. As you can imagine, they are completely devastated, but they are trying to come to terms with the loss and to find the light to guide a way forward.  John was a dedicated husband and father.  He loved teaching at Boise State University, and he was the sole breadwinner for the family. 

This is an especially difficult time to lose John. He and Amber were in the midst of a significant renovation of their beloved home in Boise with John acting as the general contractor and DIY laborer.  They were midstream on creating their single-family “forever” home with more space for the growing kids to have their own rooms.  

Now, that project needs critical support to get finished before winter sets in and to revise the plans to instead include a functional rental unit to help Amber afford to stay in the home they planned to raise their kids in.  John was passionate about raising his kids in the North End of Boise and he cherished the local community that they became a part of.  

This fundraising goal is to help defray some of the unexpected costs of losing John (and his labor) and to provide gapfunding to help get the newly modified project across the finish line.  Any contribution will help to lighten the load on Amber and the kids at this difficult moment.  If you are in the building trades and can make an in-kind contribution or if you want to donate labor or materials, please reach out to [email redacted] to coordinate that effort.

Recognizing this is already an extraordinarily difficult time for many, with the pandemic, the fires, online schooling, and many other reasons, any contribution or support is seen and deeply appreciated.  Whether or not you are in a position to help out, please feel free to share this GoFundMe page with others in your community.

We want to thank those of you that have already reached out to Amber and the larger Ottey family to share condolences.

You were one of a kind, John, and you will be greatly missed in this world by all who knew you.