Andrew Ottinger
Dad to Noah, 5, and Amelia, 4 Nominated by wife, Heather Ottinger Originally from St. Louis, Andrew Ottinger has been with the National Guard for 19 years. But it was while working at a car dealership in St. Louis that he fell in love with receptionist Heather Lawson. In 2002, when he accepted full-time Guard duty, they relocated to Ashland and married in 2003. Deployed in Iraq from January 2004 to February 2005, Ottinger and his wife have two children: Noah, 5, and Amelia, 4. Like so many military dads, Ottinger, a helicopter instructor pilot, knows firsthand the difficulties in balancing parenthood and career. Away from home for extended periods of time, he has to work extra hard just to do the normal things other fathers take for granted. “I’ll drive overnight if I have to for every baseball game, every dance recital and every gymnastics class,” he says. “You only get one first step and one first time riding a bike.” Heather Ottinger, who nominated her husband for Best Dad, recognizes the sacrifices he makes and appreciates his dedication to his family. “You will never hear him complain about his job, and he is always there for his children when duty is not calling,” she says. Because Ottinger’s dad was also a helicopter pilot, he understands the necessity of providing a sense of normalcy when he’s home; he believes time is the most important thing a parent can give a child. Additionally, as an only child, he’s aware of how much the little things mean to him. “My wife and my kids, they’re everything,” he says. For Heather, the strong connection between her husband and their children touches her heart. “I don’t have the same relationship with my dad that Andrew has with his own children,” she says, adding that her father is not a part of her children’s lives. She also appreciates her husband’s thoughtfulness toward Noah and Amelia. “In the trunk of his car, he had a Barbie and a transformer for the kids,” she says recalling her husband’s recent homecoming presents after a 10-day absence. Additional deployment for Ottinger is basically a certainty, according to Heather. “I think it’s inevitable, but we don’t have any firm details yet,” she says. “He is a wonderful father and a wonderful husband but above all a soldier for us all.” Ottinger, who takes pride in his military service, hopes his sacrifices help other dads connect with their children. “I truly believe the little sacrifices I make by being gone, if by me doing what I do gives somebody else the opportunity to spend more time, more quality time with their kids that I choose to miss with mine, it’s worth it,” he says.
Jon Korte
Dad to Sophia, 8; Gwyneth, 8; and Charlie, 7 months Nominated by wife, Leslie Korte Jon Korte, who grew up in Columbia and attended Hickman High School, met his wife on eHarmony. A production manager for Weaver Manufacturing for seven years, Korte married Leslie Owen in 2009, and they have three children: Sophia and Gwyneth, 8-year-old twins from Jon’s first marriage, and 7-month-old Charlie. Korte had no idea his wife had nominated him for the Best Dad Contest. In fact, he found out when he received an email from the magazine announcing him as one of the winners. “I try every day to be a good dad, a good husband, but you never figure you are the best in Columbia by any means,” he says. According to Leslie Korte, her husband truly deserves the honor. She says his limitless imagination and desire to provide new experiences for his children, from family outings at the St Louis Arch to spelunking in Rock Bridge Park, make him a great dad. Korte, who has
taken Gwyneth and Sophia on father-daughter date nights for dinner and a movie, also reads to the children in the afternoons and before bed and spends time just being silly with the baby. Korte, however, considers all this just part of being a dad. He credits his own dad for most of his inspiration; he often does the same things with his children that his parents did with him and his brother. A favorite he shares with his own family is fondue nights, when they turn on music, play board games and eat fondue together. “I come from a long line of good fathers,” Korte says, “and mothers for that matter.” Korte says his father provided structure and rules, and he and his brother always knew their dad loved them. “He would give up anything for us,” he says. “My goal is to be as good a dad as he was to me.” Leslie appreciates her husband’s hands-on approach. “He’s dedicated to our family,” she says. Although Korte and his wife are thrilled about the Best Dad win, perhaps the twins are more so. According to Leslie, “They’re excited about the trophy!”
William Benson
Dad to Riley, 6; Brooke, 4; and Logan, 8 months Nominated by sisters, Beth Benson and Heather Lancaster When William Benson and Angie Kepford’s son Logan was born this year, they were ecstatic. It had been a long haul for the high school sweethearts, separated eight years when Benson’s family left Springfield and moved to Sturgeon, Mo. Even reuniting in 2008 through MySpace was less than ideal because Kepford was going through a divorce. It wasn’t until the following year when they settled down in Columbia, along with Kepford’s two small children, Riley and Brooke, that things starting to look up for the young couple. But when Logan was only 5 months old, Benson and Kepford received devastating news during their son’s checkup. Logan’s distended belly, which they had been assured was nothing to worry about, was due to a rare form of liver cancer called hepatoblastoma. According to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, the incidence of this disease is about one in one million children. Two days after the diagnosis, doctors removed a tumor the size of a large cantaloupe; but little Logan still must undergo several chemotherapy treatments along with additional tests and checkups as time goes on. When Benson’s sisters, Heather Lancaster and Beth Benson, nominated their brother for Best Dad, they knew contests were the farthest thing from his mind, but they wanted to show how proud they were of him. “William has stood strong for these children through this hard time without once saying anything to the effect that the children were just too much to handle,” Lancaster says. Benson, who says he had no idea his sisters were nominating him, believes any father would do the same. “I haven’t done anything a caring father wouldn’t do,” he says. “Now that he’s with Angie, he spends almost all his free time with the family,” Lancaster says. Although Benson says fatherhood wasn’t easy at first, he’s learned along the way. “There was a bit of a transition from being a single guy with no kids,” he says. “I was sort of fighting the current at first.” But eventually, he says he learned to take each new day in stride and just spend time with his kids. “If you go fishing, take them fishing. If you read a book, sit them down with a book.” For now, Benson hopes Logan’s treatments are successful. He also wants to protect all of his children from harm, which he says is essential as a dad. “You compare your childhood to theirs, shelter them …” he says. “I just want them to be happy and successful.” columbiahomemagazine.com | 73