Lillian Koch

1935 - 2022

Lillian Koch

Le Mars, Iowa, formerly Ute, Iowa

Lillian Koch, 87, of Le Mars and formerly of Ute passed away peacefully on Wednesday, July 27, 2022, at the Good Samaritan Society of Le Mars following a lengthy illness.

Celebration of Life will be at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 21, at the Rexwinkel Funeral Home in Le Mars. Tom Hiller will officiate. Burial will be in St. Clair Cemetery in Ute. Visitation with the family will follow the service during a time of lunch and fellowship at the funeral home. Arrangements are with the Rexwinkel Funeral Home in Le Mars. Expressions of sympathy can be extended to the family through www.rexwinkelfh.com.

Lillian Rose Schwebach, the daughter of Louis and Leona Schwebach, was born on June 11, 1935, in Paullina, Iowa. She attended school until the eighth grade. She then had to go to work in order to help support her family financially.

She was united in marriage to Wilbur Koch on June 8, 1957, and said their vows at the Little Brown Church in the Vale in Nashua, Iowa. They made their home in Ute.

Lillian worked for 21 years as custodian for the Charter Oak Ute School system and enjoyed being able to work side by side with her husband as a team. She was loved dearly by the students and staff of the school, and they could always count on Lillian to provide a safe, clean and secure environment for the kids. There were many sad little faces the day Lillian retired.

Lillian was devoted to making a difference in the lives of others. Her commitment was obvious in the time and attention she gave to her family and friends. When someone needed spiritual guidance or seeking trusted advice, they would say "I am going to call Lilly and see what she thinks." She touched so many lives during her time with us.

Lillian was known as "Grammy" once the grandchildren arrived. When we joined together at Grammy and PaPa's place, we insisted she make her secret recipe potato salad. Nobody had ever come remotely close to the most exceptional homemade potato salad made on this planet. Many of her grandchildren worked side by side with Grammy over the years attempting to master her recipe and so her legacy lives on.

Lillian was an active member of the local Red Hat Society, a group of like-minded women who took a break from raising families, careers and cares of every day life to have some fun. Dressed in her massively brimmed red hat and purple dress, Lillian laughed and brought laughter to her fellow Red Hatters whenever they were together.

Lillian was active in the community as well. She was instrumental in setting up a new library for the town of Ute and served as president and on the board for several years. She was also Vice President of the Legion Auxiliary group.

After Wilbur's passing on April 7, 2013, Lillian moved to Le Mars to be closer to family. Quickly, Lillian ingratiated herself to her fellow neighbors in her senior center and in short order became the gatekeeper of facility activities. She made quite a stir when she introduced Wii (computer) bowling to the ladies and overnight, there was born one of the most competitive bowling leagues ever witnessed for the over 70s crowd.

A devoted Christian, Lillian rested comfortably in knowing she was going home to meet her savior and to rejoin other loved ones who left before her. She left behind a legacy built on love, laughter and lasting memories of shared joy and comfort from sorrow to all who knew her.

She is survived by her two sons Jeffrey (Kris) Koch of Lawton, Iowa, and Randy (Patty) Koch of Northport, Mich.; four grandchildren Christopher (Kayla) Koch of Merrill, Iowa, Ashley (Matt) Klocke of Halbur, Iowa, William Koch of Lafayette, Colo., and Evan (Courtney) Koch of Hamilton, Mich.; eight great-grandchildren; two sisters, Sally Plueger and Betty Jean McConnell; brother, Richard Schwebach; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Wilbur Koch; and siblings Ester Rohrs, Donnie Schwebach, Bernadette Conley, Delores Ashmore, and Caroline Schwebach.