Obituary of Margaret S. Koch

Margaret S. Koch, age 82 of 1851 Melrose Avenue, Iowa City died Sunday, July 17, 2005, at her home. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, July 20, 2005, at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Iowa City. Burial will be later at the Oak Grove Cemetery in Chelsea, Michigan. Visitation will be from 4 to 7pm Tuesday at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in her memory to Iowa City Hospice or Gloria Dei Lutheran Church. Online condolences may be sent for Margaret’s family through our website @www.gayandciha.com. Margaret Schoenberg Koch was born March 10, 1923, in Addison Township, MI, the daughter of Arthur and Merle (Kimball) Schoenberg. Following graduation from Imlay City High School, Imlay City, MI in 1940, she attended Michigan Normal College (now Eastern Michigan University) for two years. Having received her teacher’s certificate she taught school for one year at the Hand School in Wayne County, MI. On June 24, 1943, Margaret married Harold Koch at the St. John’s Lutheran Church in Capac, MI. After raising their three children, at the age of 46 Margaret returned to college to receive her Bachelors of Science degree from Eastern Michigan University in 1968. With her degree she resumed her teaching career with the Chelsea, Michigan middle school in 1969. She continued this for many years retiring in 1986. Margaret and Harold retired and moved to Iowa to be closer to their family in 1986, later moved to California in 1999, and back to Iowa in 2001. Margaret was an active member of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Iowa City where she was involved in the Adult Bible Study Group, and the Rosella Kameo Circle. She was also a member of the Michigan Association Retired School Personnel. Her passions in life were doing jigsaw puzzles, cross stitch, playing cards, as an avid reader, she enjoyed mystery novels, but foremost and what brought her most joy in this world was her family and her faith. Her family includes her husband of sixty-two years, Harold; two sons and their wives, Karl Divine-Koch and his wife, Cathy of Iowa City, and Keith Koch and his wife, Sue of Oxnard, CA; daughter and her husband, Kathy Mundt and Jerry of Cedar Falls, IA; six grandchildren, Ben Koch and his wife, Paula of The Colony, TX, Jeff Koch of Portland, OR, Cory Mundt of Cedar Rapids, Anthony Casello-Koch of Atascadero, CA, Sharon Hembree of Ventura, CA, and Anna Ellenberger of Iowa City, IA; great-grandchildren, Vincent Koch, Morena Koch, and Maya Koch; and three brothers, Howard Schoenberg of Imlay City, MI, Donald Schoenberg of Chelsea, MI, and Richard Schoenberg of Shelby Township, MI. Margaret was preceded in death by her parents and a brother, Carl Schoenberg. Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service is caring for Margaret’s family and her services.