Earl Koch

Robert “Earl” Koch, age 93, passed away February 3, 2021.  Earl was born September 29, 1927 in Centralia, Kansas to William J. and Clementine Mueller Koch.  He met Cora M. Spacek after his brother Jack stole one of Cora’s senior pictures and brought it home for his brothers to see.  Earl and Cora married November 22, 1953 in Centralia, Kansas.

Earl started trucking at the age of 16. Then after he was able to get his CDL at 21, he hauled cars from Kansas City to Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota.  After Earl and Cora were married, they moved to Summerfield, Kansas where Earl and his brother Ed owned and operated the grain elevator.  By 1965 Earl and Cora were ready to try lease trucking and worked with Glenn Keim until 1972.  Then he and Cora established their own corporation of R. Earl Koch Trucking.  He and his drivers did all types of commodity hauling from livestock to U.S. mail routes, watermelons and potatoes.  Mainly he was involved with grain hauling and at one point followed the grain harvest especially in North and South Dakota.

While still running his trucking business in 1981, he purchased a farm in Fairview, Kansas which he farmed until 2005.  Also, Earl and Cora dabbled in buying houses to use as rentals or for repair and resell.

Earl loved Cora and often said he lost his right hand when she passed away in 2013.  Earl also loved his family.  He loved showing off his daughter Jo Ann, husband Mick and granddaughters Andrea and Allison New at the local diner “Cozy Café,” “Grandpa’s Kitchen” and “Butch’s Bar.”  Earl enjoyed socializing with friends at “the information booth,” as he called it, at the Cozy Café and Ampride.  Earl was always there for anyone who needed a hand and had some very special friends.

Survivors include daughter Jo Ann New and son-in-law Mick New of Topeka,  granddaughters Andrea(Scott) Nei of Rochester, Minnesota and Allison New of Topeka, and sister Mary Ann(Tom) Bulkley of Topeka.  He was preceded in death by his wife Cora on March 29, 2013, as well as six sisters and three brothers.

Due to Covid-19 pandemic concerns, memorial services were delayed back in February.  Graveside services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 25, 2021 at Rochester Cemetery in Topeka.   Social distancing and wearing of face masks would be appreciated.