As Liberty County and the rest of the state of Texas mourns the passing of former State Rep. John C. Otto, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an order on Wednesday ordering Texas flags at the Texas State Cemetery to be lowered to half-staff in his honor.
Texas flags will be lowered from Friday, Aug. 7, and will return to full-staff at sunset or by sunrise on Saturday, Aug. 8.
Additionally, the governor stated that under the direction of Liberty County Judge Jay Knight, Texas flags may also be lowered to half-staff across Liberty County during the same time frame. Individuals, businesses and other political subdivisions are encouraged to participate.
“On behalf of the State of Texas, the First Lady and I offer our thoughts and prayers to the Otto family in their time of mourning. I urge all Texans to appropriately remember his faithful service to Texas,” Abbott said.
Otto died Aug. 1, 2020, in Houston, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was a native of Dayton and served many years on the Dayton ISD Board of Trustees and the Dayton City Council.
In 2004, Otto was elected to the Texas House of Representatives, serving six terms before retiring in January 2017. During that time, he served as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Vice Chair of Ways and Means, and on the Legislative Budget Board and the Legislative Audit Committee.
Upon his retirement from politics, he and his wife, Nancy, moved to Bryan-College Station after Otto was appointed as Assistant Vice Chancellor and Director of Local Government Relations at Texas A&M University.
He will be buried on Friday at the Texas State Cemetery.