Otto William Bill Lampe, 79, long time resident of Vero Beach, FL and avid traveler died at his home on Thursday, January 8, 2009. Bill was born May 26, 1929 in Valencia, Venezuela. In 1970 he moved to the United States. He earned an A.S. Degree in Construction Technology from Farmingdale A. & T. Institute in NY and a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY where he was a member of Chi Epsilon, a national Civil Engineering Honor Society.
Bill moved to San Tome, Venezuela after college with his wife and spent 17 years there before being transferred to Reston, VA where he worked as a world wide trouble shooter for Gulf Oil. After a 25 year career with the Gulf Oil Corporation, Bill relocated to Vero Beach in 1979 where he started Owl & Associates, Inc., a general contracting firm.
Bills true passion in life was fishing and traveling. A living room wall map, peppered with colored pins designating places explored, reveals his destinations. His luggage tattooed and stickered with designation labels of far away places will spark your imagination. He and his wife of 56 years traveled the world from the Amazon Rain Forest to Greek Isles and European mountain villages by train; they have seen it all. In fact, just months before his death he was planning their next excursion. His current voyage will be his greatest adventure!
He was preceded in death by his brother, Edward and his mother and father, Helena and Ernest Lampe. Survivors include his wife, Barbra C. Lampe of Vero Beach, daughters Kathleen (George) Whitehurst of Winter Haven, FL and Cynthia (Rick) Smith of Port St. Lucie, FL; sister Aline Lampe of Venezuela; three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
A celebration gathering will take place 2-3 PM, Monday, January 19, 2009 at the Cox-Gifford-Seawinds Funeral Home in Vero Beach followed by a Celebration of Life Prayer Service at 3 PM at the funeral home with Father Richard Murphy of Holy Cross Catholic Church, Vero Beach officiating.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers memorial donations be made to the VNA Hospice House, 1110 35th Lane, Vero Beach, FL 32960.