Dennis Koch

Nov. 15, 1926 – Nov. 24, 2010

Dennis W. Koch, 84, of Christmas Valley, a former Sweet Home resident, died Nov. 24, 2010 in Corvallis.

He was born Nov. 15, 1926 to John and Hilma Koch in Remer, Minn. He left Minnesota with his family in 1938 and settled in Bend,.

Mr. Koch served in the Merchant Marines from 1942 to 1945, receiving an honorable discharge.

In 1948 he married his wife, Fern, in Bend, and they later moved to Sweet Home.

In the early 1960s the family moved to the Liberty area. Mr. Koch worked at Champion Mill in Lebanon for 31 years, retiring in 1986.

He and Fern owned & operated Eastside Auto Parts from 1970 until 1986. After his wife’s death in 1990, his love for flying led him to Christmas Valley, where he built and operated Table Rock Airport. He was very fond of flying his Cessna 172 all around the Willamette Valley and Central Oregon.

Mr. Koch was a man of many talents. He was known for being a collector of sorts. If he needed a piece of equipment, he built it. Friends and family are still using many of his fabrications today.

He is survived by his children, Donald and daughter-in-law Mary Koch, Bernice and son-in-law Rex Parker, Byron Koch, and Roschelle Brown; 10 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; brothers Glenn, Jerry, and Bruce; and a sister, Ardelle. He was preceded in death by his wife; parents; brothers Norman and Delwin; and sisters Eunice, Bernice and Lois.

A memorial service is planned at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 15, at the Assembly of God Church, 890 Mountain View Road, Sweet Home.

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