Jacklyn Ruth Koch

1942 - 2019

Koch, Jacklyn Ruth (Nee Demke) Milwaukee. Age 76, passed away at 6:24 AM on Monday, May 6th, 2019 in St. Luke's Surgical Intensive Care Unit fighting complex health issues for three weeks. She was comfortable and with family. She was born May 20, 1942 in Toledo, OH, the daughter of Edward and Ruth (Shaurette) Demke. Jackie graduated from West Division HS. She attended UW-M while working part time. She worked for Allen-Bradley (Rockwell Automation) for 39 years during which she attended Cardinal Stritch and Mount Mary Colleges earning her BS degree in Business with a minor in Philosophy. She was a Technician in the Electronics Division Research Labs, a writer with the Documentation Department and, worked with Legal, initiating the first formal records management programs. She joined Information Systems as a Project Supervisor working on many different systems at the Corporate level, including the Y2K project just before she retired in 2001. At Allen-Bradley she met her future husband William G. Koch, Jr. and married on March 28, 1981. She and her daughter Julie Abuya joined Bill making a home that they shared and loved in the Town of Eagle, WI with a large garden and a tree swing overlooking it. She was a most loving and superior Mother to Julie. She enjoyed the arts, reading, her faith, supporting numerous faith-based and children's support groups and a grand piano which she and Julie shared. Music of all types interested her and soothed her soul. Her attention to elegance in daily life made living with her precious. She maintained an arm's length interest in criticizing and guiding conservative politics to do better. She and Bill worked very hard together and separately helping family members with needs, navigating life and at end of life. Jackie was preceded in death by her parents, brother Lee Demke and her sister Penny (Arnie) Peterson. She is survived by her husband Bill, daughter Julie Abuya and her sisters Pam (Maurie) Wright (Kenosha) and Cindy Cleveland (Memphis). Nieces and nephews Robin and Michaelene (Peterson), Natalie, Rebekah and Maurice (Wright), and Nick, Ryan and Candace (Kerby) (Memphis). A funeral Mass will be held at Church of the Gesu, 1145 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI on Thursday May 9th 2019 at 10:00 AM with Father Flaherty presiding. Family will greet friends 45 minutes before the Mass at the church. Jackie would love lots of WHITE flowers at the Mass Thursday for the church to have for all the Mothers next Sunday. Regular Weekday Parking: Lot J - Behind the Church and Next to the Parish Center. Immediately adjacent to the Parish Center and church. The entrance to the lot is on 11th Street south of Wisconsin Avenue.