Christina Tyler Moffett Otto, 63

Christina Tyler Moffett Otto, age 63, passed away in her Fox Island, Washington home on August 2, 2025, after a 3-year battle with brain cancer.

Chris was the youngest of three children born to Tyler and Betty Moffett in Port Angeles, Washington. From a young age, Chris showed a remarkable energy and love for people; she was active in sports, a president of school clubs, and a regular skier at Hurricane Ridge. An honors graduate from Port Angeles High School Class of 1980, Chris attended the University of Washington for two years, where she was a Kappa Alpha Theta.

In 1982, Chris married her hometown sweetheart, (then) Lieutenant Bob Otto. She proved her adaptability and resilience through his 34-year Air Force career and 22 moves, graduating cum laude in nursing from the University of South Carolina.

With such frequent moves, Chris exchanged her ICU nursing career for a life dedicated to community and raising their three sons, Ty [Aisling], Danny [Jennifer], and Sam, and twice taught home school when local schools were inadequate. She was an active volunteer in her many communities: school room mother; Boy Scout leader; hospital aide; key spouse leader; Chris could always be found where she was needed most. A gifted servant-leader, she was president of the Officer’s Spouse Club and Charity Ball Co-Chair, raising over $500K annually for the Air Force Aid Society.

Chris had a visible Christian faith. She was often the person asked to give the invocation, lead Bible studies, and organize church events. After retiring from the Air Force in 2017, Chris and Bob chose to make Fox Island, Washington, their home. She led a women’s Bible study and was an event coordinator for FISH food bank before her brain cancer diagnosis in 2022; her final effort was to be a spokesperson for Breakthrough Cancer and a “Mimi” to three grandchildren.

Chris was a hub for many communities, but none was more important to her than her family. She maintained a lifelong closeness to her two brothers, Ty [Heather) and Todd [Ken], and hated to miss out on a Moffett family gathering. After returning to Washington, Chris was an ever-present helper and friend to her aging mother, who moved to Gig Harbor. Her sons knew her as a source of encouragement and support, whose cheerful humor belied her immense strength and determination.

Chris is remembered as a spark: a radiant, faith-filled woman whose life overflowed with love, strength, and joy. She embraced her role as a military spouse with grace and compassion, reaching out to others with genuine care. Her battle with brain cancer was marked not by fear, but by courage, humor, and an unshakable spirit. She said, “I accept the diagnosis; I don’t have to accept the verdict,” and lived far beyond any reasonable expectations.

Her legacy is one of deep love—for God, her family, her country, and her community. Never complacent, she lived her life with a joyful urgency that propelled her to run a 5K and backpack the Enchantments while actively undergoing cancer treatment. She described her approach to attending events as “never late, rarely early!” Those that knew her would agree her exit from this life came much too early.

A memorial service will be held at 2:30pm on Sunday, September 14th, at Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church in Gig Harbor, Washington. In lieu of flowers, Chris requested donations be made to the FISH Food Bank, Air Force Aid Society, or Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church.