Robert John Koch

With a heavy heart we are announcing the death of our father,

Robert J. “Bob” Koch age 91, of Clearwater, Florida passed away peacefully, in his sleep, after a fight with Lung Cancer. Robert was born on July 28th, 1932 in Brooklyn, New York. He was a child of the depression. He learned early in life to help and assist others in need. Our father carried that motto in life; he was always lending a helping hand. During the depression, he said no one had much but everyone had something, families helped families. He embodied that. He felt one of the most beautiful things you can do in life is offer kindness. After graduating from Forrest Hills High he went into the Army to serve his country. He served as a hospital medic where he fulfilled his responsibilities of helping and assisting people.

Robert met his life partner and future wife, Patricia, in High school. They knew each other for over 75 years and were married for 65 years. They were high school sweethearts that shared an extremely fulfilling life together having two children, Susan and Victoria. They made the decision to move to Clearwater, Florida in August of 1970. They felt Florida would provide a nice atmosphere and peaceful surroundings to raise a family.

He always said his favorite job in life was being a father.

Robert and Patricia enjoyed traveling. For over 40 years, they traveled the globe seeing beautiful countries with beautiful people. His favorite country to visit was Greece and the Mediterranean Islands. Our father loved to eat and eat good food and enjoyed family gatherings where the family was together. His drink of choice was the Rusty Nail. It was always a good laugh going out to dinner and him asking for a Rusty Nail. The server would always look puzzled and have no idea what the drink was. (It was an old person drink.) He claimed the drink was a sweet drink. That drink would put hair on your chest and kill whatever was ailing you.

He was somebody that could not sit still. He was always on the go. Keeping his mind sharp, he was always making or building something and tinkering around in the garage, repairing things. When he slowed down, he loved to read books and watch his favorite channel TMC.

BASEBALL WAS HIS FAVORITE SPORT AND BOB LOVED WATCHING HIS BELOVED TAMPA BAY RAYS. AS A TEENAGER, HE WAS SCOUTED TO PLAY CATCHER FOR THE PHILLIES. HOWEVER, HIS FATHER INSISTED HE FINISH HIGH SCHOOL. ONCE HE FINISHED HE WAS DRAFTED TO GO INTO THE ARMY. UNFORTUNATELY, HE WAS NOT ABLE TO PLAY PROFESSIONAL BALL. HE WAS ALWAYS VERY ATHLETIC AND HEALTHY. HE ENJOYED PLAYING TENNIS, GOLF, AND JOGGING.

OUR FATHER HAD AGREAT SENSE OF HUMOR AND A LOVING PERSONALITY. HE LOVED LIFE AND LIFE LOVED HIM. HE WAS THE LONGEST LIVING KOCH MEMBER. OUTLIVING IN YEARS HIS SIBLINGS AND PARENTS. HE IS SURVIVED BY SUSAN, EMILY AND LEO PLANTE, VICTORIA AND JOHN MCGOWAN SEVERAL NIECES, NEPHEWS AND MANY FUR BABIES.
HE JOINS OUR MOTHER…

A Celebration of Life will be held on Monday, June 3rd, 2024 from 2:00PM-5:00PM at Veterans Funeral Care 830 N. Belcher Rd. Clearwater, FL
Military Honors shall be presented on Tuesday, June 4th, 2024 at 11:00AM located at Bay Pines National Cemetery 10000 Bay Pines Blvd. St. Petersburg, FL.