Dan Otten, age 66, of Celina, passed away peacefully on January 17, 2021, of complications from cancer.

He was born in Dayton, Ohio, and graduated from Fairmont East High School and BGSU where he was captain of the soccer team. He was a former teacher, athletic director and current cross country and track coach for Celina City Schools.

Dan was the son of the late Barney and Pat Otten and is survived by siblings Peggy (Bernie) Kmetz, Susan (John) Fleeger, Mary Kay (Bo) Root, Chip (Diane) Otten, Patti Cron (Tim) O'Neill, and Mike (Pam) Otten. He had 15 nieces and nephews and coached thousands of student athletes.

He was an avid runner before cancer, and also enjoyed hiking, biking, kayaking, and being in nature. His passions were teaching, coaching and being part of the Celina Bulldog community. He shared his strong faith with everyone and we now believe Dan is running to Jesus with a peaceful smile.

We sincerely thank his medical team in Celina and at the James Cancer Center and the many people who prayed and supported Dan during his cancer journey.

Because of his love for teaching and learning, Dan chose to donate his body to the OSU Medical School. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

One of Dan's last gifts was establishing a scholarship fund. Memorial contributions can be made to the "Mercer County Civic Foundation for the Dan Otten Memorial Scholarship Fund". P.O. Box 439, Celina, OH 45822.

Contributions can also be made through the Foundation website mercercountycivicfdn.org. Select Donate from the homepage and select "Otten, Dan Memorial Scholarship."