Gary M. Koch

A celebration of the life of Gary M. Koch, 71, will be held on Wednesday, April 6, at Christ United Methodist Church in Algonquin. Visitation begins at 9:20a.m., followed by a funeral service at 10:30a.m.

Born July 15, 1939, in Waukesha, Wis., the son of George and Olive (nee Crerar) Koch, he died Friday, March 25, 2011, at Kindred Hospital, Sycamore, following a three-month illness.

Gary graduated from Mukwonago Union High School in 1957, and received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 1963. That year, Gary moved to Washington, D.C. to begin a lifelong career as a loan officer with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Career moves soon took him to Detroit, Mich., followed by many years in the downtown Chicago SBA office.

Gary married Marilyn Richards in 1972 at Christ United Methodist Church of Elmhurst, Ill. Both were active in this church for years. Gary retired from SBA service in 1998. In 2003, Gary and Marilyn moved to the Sun City development in Huntley. Gary became active in many Sun City clubs and special events. He has a special love of travel, visiting all 50 states and several foreign countries. In retirement, he became a dedicated volunteer at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital and the DuPage Senior Citizens Council. In recent years, he was an active volunteer at the Huntley Area Public Library.

Gary was preceded in death by his wife and parents.

Surviving him are a brother, Ted (Jeanette) Koch of Verona, Wis., niece, Lisa (Michael) Schuster of Madison, Wis.; and nephew, Ryan Koch of Fitchburg, Wis.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in Gary's honor may be made to the Huntley Area Public Library or Christ United Methodist Church of Algonquin.

The family would like to give special thanks to the staff of the Intensive Care Unit at St. Joseph's Hospital, Elgin and the staff of Kindred Hospital, Sycamore.