Woodstock, Vermont

Sallie Kenefick Otto died peacefully at Woodstock Terrace on Wednesday, June 24. She was 92.

Mrs. Otto was born in Buffalo, and lived there for most of her life. Both her grandfathers and father were prominent Buffalo lawyers; her paternal grandfather, Daniel J. Kenefick, was a judge on the NY Supreme Court.

She attended Franklin and Park Schools in Buffalo, and the Foxhollow School in Lenox, MA. She married her first husband, John Sterling Deans III, also of Buffalo, in 1946, who died in 1958. She was married to radio talk show host John Otto III, another Buffalo native, for 41 years until his death in 1999.

In Buffalo, Mrs. Otto was a member of the Garret Club, and a strong supporter of both the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Buffalo Bills. She was a member of Trinity Episcopal Church there.

She first came to know and love the Upper Valley as a young girl at Interlaken Camp for Girls, which was originally in Croydon, NH, then in Sharon, VT. In 1980 Mrs. Otto built a house in Sharon, where she and her family enjoyed many happy summers. She moved to Woodstock in 1999 and enjoyed connecting with the community of St. James Episcopal Church there.

A lifelong lover of art, animals and flowers, she derived great pleasure from a succession of family cats and dogs, as well as from her gardening pursuits. She is survived by her youngest sister, Angeline Kenefick Fryer of Buffalo, as well as by her daughter Dottie and her partner Lydia Spitzer, of North Pomfret, VT, her daughter, Sallie Deans-Lake, and her husband Kevin Lake of Northampton, MA, her son, Anthony Otto, of Wilder, VT, a stepson J. Nicholas Otto and his wife, Anita, of Arlington, VA, and six adult grandchildren.

The family would like to thank the dedicated personal caregivers at Woodstock Terrace especially Michelle Gabardi and Candy Barr.

Private services will be held at a later date.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Cabot Funeral Home in Woodstock, Vermont. An on line guest book can be found at cabotfh.com