- Date Of Birth: March 24, 1921
- Date Of Death: February 9, 2011
- State: Idaho
Paul John Koch, 89, of Caldwell, Idaho died of natural causes at his home on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011 with his wife and daughters at his side.
Paul was born March 24, 1921, in Paul, Idaho to Russian immigrants Peter and Katherine (Knopp) Koch, the tenth of twelve children. He spent his childhood there and at a skating rink in Burley he met a girl named Pauline Dorsey. They were married on December 30, 1943 and recently celebrated 67 years together.
Paul served his country in the Army Air Corps during World War II from August 1942 to December 1945.
He became a farmer, moving to the Treasure Valley area in 1952, where he lived the remainder of his life being a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, Mr. “Fix-it”, and a friend to many. He also spent 10 years working for the USDA Office in Caldwell.
Paul blessed many countless friends, family, and neighbors with his uncanny ability to rebuild, remodel, renovate, or create just about anything he could imagine.
Paul and Pauline had a winter home in Quartzite, Arizona that they enjoyed for 22 years. They also enjoyed camping and fishing at Horsethief Reservoir with family members parked alongside.
Paul is survived by his wife, Pauline; daughters, Bonnie (Bob) Schwenkfelder of Meridian and Nancy (Terry) Mittleider of Caldwell; grandchildren, Kelli (Steve) Elliott, Trent (Barb) Schwenkfelder, all of Meridian, Grae (Angie) Mittleider of Caldwell, and Adam (Ashley) Mittleider of Boise. He will be greatly missed by his great-grandchildren, Justin, Tucker, Sydney, Dylan, Audrey, Trew, Jaeger, and Tolle. He is also survived by a brother, Daniel Koch of Spokane, Washington; and sister, Pauline Neiwert of Rupert, Idaho.
He was preceded in death by his parents and nine brothers and sisters.
Pauline and family extend a special thanks to Paul’s caretakers over the past year; T.J., Jerry, Laura, and Dale. Your care, attention, and compassion allowed Paul to enjoy life at home until the very end, which was his sincere wish. We will never forget you.
Paul, while small in stature, you left behind a huge legacy in this world and will forever be in the hearts of all of us.
