When you think of contortionists, images of circus performers (perhaps a la Cirque du Soleil) likely come to mind. The bending, twisting, and stretching seem impossible — and never fail to mesmerize.

It’s tempting to say that Otgo Waller’s life has taken some bizarre twists. But that’d be too easy. So let’s offer, instead, that Waller always has been flexible about dealing with curves that life ...