Alison Otto

Alison Otto died peacefully but unexpectedly on July 23, 2026, with her husband, J.D., and her sister, Heather, by her side. She was a talented writer, editor, gardener, and home cook, a devoted dog mom, and a feisty, funny, loving wife, sister, friend, and member of her East Nashville community.

Although she was a very private person, Alison had many friends: once you were her friend, you were her friend for life. She loved her neighbors and their many informal get-togethers: walks with the dogs, glasses of wine on the porch, impromptu happy hours. She was an active member of Historic Edgefield Neighbors and was a force to be reckoned with when she focused her efforts on projects to establish parking passes, plant trees, and reduce noise in the neighborhood. She loved to cook and entertain, and she and J.D. hosted a neighborhood 4th of July celebration, featuring some of her signature salads, a few weeks before she passed away.

Alison met her husband, J.D., in 2018 when she hired him to rebuild the deck in her backyard. As J.D. describes it, “First I built her a deck, then I fixed her windows, then she wanted me to update her bathroom. So, after all of that, we decided it was time to build a life together.” Fittingly, he proposed to her with a ring that he wove out of electrical wire (soon to be replaced by a beautiful emerald-cut diamond). They were married in September 2022 and celebrated a few weeks later at an outdoor reception under the stars.

Alison was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, to Kathleen (“Kay”) and Arch T. (“Tom”) Otto, Jr. She grew up in Mount Prospect, Illinois, and graduated from Illinois State University. Her editorial career took her through many changes in the media landscape, from editing multiple trade and association magazines to working as a producer at the Food Network during its infancy, to working for ethnicgrocer.com during the dot-com boom. Eventually she started her own custom publishing business, producing magazines for a number of clients, including The Team and Pet Quarterly, magazines for independent veterinary practices. That project was designed to help pet owners and veterinarians and nurtured one of her lifelong passions.

Alison grew up with dogs in her life, and as an adult, she was mom to four: Milo, Sophie, Remi, and Pearl. She loved large dogs who could hike with her and swim in local lakes, including Nashville’s Percy Priest Lake, a special place where she loved to take Sophie. Alison liked to take road trips with her dogs, and she made several trips to visit friends and family in Chicago; Bowling Green, Kentucky; Wheeling, West Virginia; Tucson and Flagstaff in Arizona; and Boynton Beach, Florida.

Alison is survived by her husband, James D. (“J.D.”) Tanner, her sister, Heather Otto (Mike Liddicoat), her niece, Kathleen Reisner (Nate), and her great-niece and great-nephew, Isabel and Jack Reisner, whom she adored. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother Alan Thomas (“Tim”) Otto.

A Celebration of Life will be scheduled at a later date.

Arrangements in the care of Compassion Funeral & Cremation Services, 6949 Charlotte Pike, Suite 104  (615) 857-9955. We are proud to be West Nashville & Bellevue’s only locally owned and operated burial & cremation provider.