Larry G. Koch

Larry G. Koch, 88, of East Peoria and Morton, passed away on December 21, 2022. Larry was born January 16, 1934, in Tremont, Illinois to Elmer Koch and Cora Brenkman Koch. He married Shirley Marx on July 3, 1959, in Peoria. They were married for 63 years.

He is survived by four children, Lisa (Greg) Paige of Boca Raton, FL, Carla M. Koch of Plano, TX, Stephen (Ann) Koch of Greenfield, WI, and Kristen (Mervyn) Rodricks of Plano, TX; four grandchildren, Nicholas Koch and fiancée Alexis Pagel of Chicago, Jamie Koch of Greenfield, WI, Madison Paige (Bill) Leonard of Fort Benning, GA, and Amanda Paige of Boca Raton, FL; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, and his siblings: Keith Koch, Imogene Lindenfelser, Shirley Tiffan, and Clinton Koch and his beloved wife, Shirley, in December 2021.

Larry attended Tremont High School and went on to study at Bradley University, where he earned both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering. He served in the US Army from 1957 – 1958. His career at Caterpillar at the Tech Center in Mossville, IL spanned more than four decades.

Larry was active in Republican politics in Tazewell County, serving as a member and later as Chairman of the Tazewell County Board. He was also involved in other civic organizations in Central Illinois. He attended Westminster Presbyterian Church in Peoria and the Apostolic Christian Church in Morton. He & Shirley traveled to Europe, took several Elder Hostel trips across the US, and enjoyed family vacations in Colorado and at the family cottage in Three Lakes, WI. Larry was an avid Bradley basketball fan & season ticket holder for many decades. He also was a St. Louis Cardinals fan and enjoyed following the Illini in football and basketball.

Services will be held at Knapp-Johnson Funeral Home in Morton on Saturday, January 21. Ted Witzig, Jr. will officiate. Visitation will be at 1:00pm, followed by the Memorial Service at 2:30pm.

Memorials may be made to the Tazewell Country Resource Centers (TCRC).

The Koch family extends our gratitude to the staff of Holly Brook Villas in Morton, where Larry resided the last 14 months.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.TedDickeyFuneral.com for the Koch family.