Brittinger OttersgardAug. 16, 1953-May 7, 2017Brittinger Simunovic Ottersgard passed away on Sunday evening May 7th at El Camino Hospital after a long and courageous struggle with cancer. Britta was born in Ostersund, Sweden to Evelyn (Andersson) and Sigvard Ottersgard and graduated from Uppsala University with a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science. She joined IBM Sweden in 1984 as a systems engineer and later became product manager for the Nordic region. Britta came to California in the late 1980's and held a number of management and development positions at IBM Silicon Valley Lab in San Jose.
Britta married noted Croatian artist Miho Simunovic in 1993 and together they created their best work, their loving son Michael who enriched their lives with music and sports. A tuba player in the Valley Christian Marching Band and an avid golfer, Michael fulfilled his parents' dream of seeing him graduate from Notre Dame de Namur University the day before his mom passed away. Highlights of her life were seeing her son Michael perform with the Valley Christian Marching Band in Beijing, China, and in the Rose Parade in Pasadena.
Britta was a dedicated watercolor artist, exhibiting her work at the Aegis Gallery in Saratoga, the Frame Company and Gallery in Los Gatos, the Swedish Women's Education Association (SWEA) in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and the Saratoga Rotary Art Show, among many other venues.
Britta is predeceased by her parents Evelyn and Sigvard, and her nephew Markus Brorsson. She is survived by her husband Miho and son Michael, her sister Ann-Kristin Ottersgard Brorsson, her niece Marika Brorsson, and her cousin Hans Jonsson. The family extends thanks to Dr. Shane Dormady and the cancer team at El Camino Hospital for their care and compassion during Britta's long illness and to Hospice of the Valley for their gentle end-of-life care. A private memorial service will be held. In lieu of flowers, Britta requested that friends consider donations to Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Foundation, 400 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94301, or to the Swedish Church, 2454 Hyde Street, San Francisco, CA 94109.