Gerald "Jerry" M. Koch

Gerald "Jerry" M. Koch, 70, of Newcastle, NE passed away on Sunday, October 11, 2015. Services will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Saturday, October 17, 2015 at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Newcastle, NE. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery in Newcastle with military rites by the Newcastle American Legion. Visitation with the family present will begin at 5:30 P.M., with a scriptural wake service at 7:30 P.M. on Friday, October 16, 2015 at the church. Jerry was born on November 26, 1944 in Sioux City, IA, the son of Martin and Marie (Horstman) Koch. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Newcastle. He attended country school until junior high, then attended Newcastle Public School for the remainder of his education. Jerry served his country by joining the U.S. Coast Guard, serving from 1965 to 1971. He married Carol Cook on August 12, 1967. Jerry worked as a farmer, carpenter and mechanic throughout his life. He was a member of the Newcastle American Legion, the 4-H Club and was a certified organic farmer. He loved building things for his children and grandchildren, and his family was the heart of his life. He will be dearly missed by his wife, ...[more]

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ol and their nine children. Survivors include his wife, Carol Koch of Newcastle, NE; children, Laura Murphy of Vermillion, SD, Steven (Jan) Koch of Coleridge, NE, Russell Koch of Laurel, NE, Kenneth Koch of Champlin, MN, Matthew Koch of Blair, NE, William Koch (Gina) of Newcastle, NE, James Koch of Newcastle, NE, John Koch of Newcastle, NE and David (Jordan) Koch of Omaha, NE; twenty-five grandchildren, Ruth, Leah, Shellby (Michael), Riley, Samantha, Nathan, Nicholas, Dillon, Kaitlynn, Kalli, Karlie, Kassidy, Britton, Naveen, Sarah, Susan, Hannah, Seamus, Ryan, Ethan, Morgan, Cole, Jameson, Owen, and Alexander; two great-grandchildren, Daniel and Ally; siblings, Mary Sue LeClair, Alice Harris and George (Dorothy) Koch; and 12 nieces and nephews. Jerry was preceded in death by his parents, Martin and Marie Koch; and his father and mother-in-law, Elmer and Ruth Cook. In lieu of flowers, please direct memorials to the family for designation to be made at a later date.