Otto William Feierabend was born on July 7, 1907 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He began military service when he joined the Enlisted Reserve Corps, a forerunner of the U.S. Army Reserve, in 1924. He actively participated in several Citizens' Military Training Camps, which were held during summer months to provide military training for citizens without having to issue active duty status. Participants who completed four different camps would also obtain a commission in the Officers Reserve Corps. Feierabend completed his fourth camp in 1927 and began training as an officer. After receiving a commission as a lieutenant, Feierabend served as an instructor at several Citizens' Military Training Camps (1933-1935) before being transferred to the Civilian Conservation Corps to serve as a company officer in 1935. Feierabend began active service in the Army in 1942, when he was appointed as a lieutenant with the Chicago Ordnance District He first served as a procurement officer with the Artillery Branch, and was later promoted to head of the Carriage, Recoil, and Anti-Aircraft Section until his active service ended in 1946. Feierabend last entered active duty in 1948 when he served as Chief of the Industrial Planning Branch of the Chicago Ordnance District in order to transition the Army into peacetime status. He ended his military service in 1967 when he retired from the Army Reserve.
Feierabend married Esther B. Dorow in 1935, and had two children. He worked several civilian jobs before beginning a career with Allis Chalmers in 1937. Feierabend worked for the company for thirty-five years before retiring in 1971. He was active with the Reserve Officers Association, a veteran's organization for former members of the Officers Reserve Corps. He died in Milwaukee in 2004.
