[2] His duties ended in 1976 when he was made professor emeritus, but he never officially retired and was actively involved with what was by then the Polytechnic University until his death on November 1, 1995.

In 1950, following a divorce, he married his second wife, Mildred Jane Topp, also from Omaha, and an English major from the University of Nebraska.

While an academic, he continued to invent, and is credited with more than 150 US patents,[6] as well as 350 papers, including important ones on the theory and practice of distillation.

Beginning with a $25,000 investment in a Warren Buffett partnership in the early sixties, the Othmers accumulated a substantial stake in Berkshire Hathaway.

He and his wife had supported many other causes in their lifetimes, particularly in the fields of local history, medical care and institutions related to chemistry and chemical engineering.