Steven R. Koch died peacefully at his home in Rye Brook, New York, on December 17, 2022, after a courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease.
“Monk”, as he was known, was born on December 21, 1946, in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Charlotte (Siehler) and Charles Koch.
He attended the McDonogh School for twelve years before going on to Amherst College from which he received an undergraduate degree in Psychology in 1968. For the next five years, he taught math and coached football, wrestling, and lacrosse at the Boys Latin School in Baltimore.
After earning an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, he became a certified public accountant. Mr. Koch was a financial executive for Texaco in Harrison, N.Y., for twenty-five years. He and his wife Betsy, who were married on June 11, 1977, were longtime Rye residents.
A two-time All-American goalie in lacrosse, he played on New England championship teams in 1967 and 1968. He passionately loved lacrosse, as well as youth soccer and Rye Little League baseball, all of which he coached for many years.
He excelled at paddle tennis, which he played for many years at Manursing Island Club in Rye. He was also an integral member of the Potato Heads, a tight-knit group of golf and tennis friends. He thrived on music from the Doo-wop era.
“Although he used to joke about his Dale Carnegie training, Monk seemingly never forgot a name and always took a sincere interest in other people,” said his family.
Monk Koch is survived by his beautiful wife of forty-five years, Betsy; their three sons: Andy (Betsy) of Denver, Colorado, Mike of Rye Brook, and Brian (Laura) of Baltimore; six grandchildren: Carter, Artie, Clemmie, Grace, Kate, and Charlotte; a brother, Tom (Gail) of Phoenix, Maryland; and a nephew, Alec (Lee) of Washington, D.C.
A memorial service will be held Tuesday, January 3 at 10:30 a.m. at Rye Presbyterian Church.
Donations in his memory may be made to USA Lacrosse (usalacrosse.com) or The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s research (donations@michaeljfox.org).
