The legacy of Eva Ottung
It is with heavy heart we announce the passing of Eva Ottung, the widow of the Keofitt-founder Kai Ottung.
Eva Ottung passed quietly and painlessly on November 15th 2018 surrounded by her loved ones. Eva would have turned 100 in February 2019 and she was awaiting this day with pride and eagerness – and rightly so. At 99 years Eva lived a full life and to the very end she was characterized by grace. She was strong, independent and proud of what she and her late husband had accomplished. Her strong character reflects in the fact that right to the end she stayed in the very town house where Kai Ottung invented the Keofitt valve 41 years ago. She was determined to live her life there with the memories of Kai and everything they shared.
Kai was a pioneer and driven by his will to change the world of sampling. For this we owe Kai a lot. But the fact remains that without Eva, Kai could probably never have created Keofitt. When Kai was struggling, Eva was there. When Kai was pitching new ideas, Eva was there. When Kai met hardship, Eva was still there. Not only did she support her husband to the fullest, she also made sure Kai could focus on the technical part alone. They shared the business and worked out of their modest private home. Kai handled the technical part on the first floor, and from the second floor Eva took care of the bookkeeping as well as shipping. If we look into Eva’s files from the beginning of Keofitt, we see her work was methodical and it points to her tidiness. All orders, invoices and shipments are neatly put in order and therefore easy to trace. The traceability that characterizes Keofitt today is rooted in Eva’s work.
Kai was confident Keofitt would succeed, but he never saw it. Eva watched Keofitt blossom into what it is today, and she was happy and proud. Kai and Eva’s accomplishments are our accomplishment, and our accomplishments are Kai and Eva’s. Eva often said, the fact that Keofitt today is carried on with the pioneer-spirit characterizing Kai made her happy and eased her mind. We – and everyone who samples out there – owe Kai and Eva a tremendous amount of gratitude.
Thank you, Eva, we honor your memory and will continue your legacy.