Mathias Maurice Koch, Jr.  of D'Hanis passed away Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022.  He was 91.

Born Oct. 8, 1931, in D'Hanis, he was the son of Mathias M. Koch and Alma L. Bilhartz Koch.

Matt, as he was known to many, (or Daddy, Grandpa, Uncle Matt, SSgt Koch, Inspector Koch, and to the very brave, "Little Matt") was born and raised in D'Hanis and attended and graduated from school there.  (He was sure to inform you he did it in only 11 years, since he was "chosen" by the nuns who taught elementary school to skip a grade.)  Although he didn't consider himself a man of the world, he did get to see part of it, courtesy of the US Air Force.  During the Korean Conflict he spent time in the Republic of South Korea. (Getting to that part of the world by troop ship was a new experience that brought him closer to his Maker as he promised that if he could just make it to port alive he'd do all kinds of good deeds in the future.  Matt and Beatrice both passed along the motion sickness gene to all five of their kids.)  He separated from the USAF as a SSgt and surprised his grandkids years later by sharing all the medals he'd been awarded during his service.

Matt loved the outdoors and ranched all his life. Agriculture is a tough occupation, and he probably knew every Novena for Rain there was.  As in life, he had good years and some that weren't.

Ranching was always his avocation, but his vocation for decades was as a health inspector.  Thanks to him the meat and the tamales you enjoyed were USDA approved.

If you knew Matt, you know two things: he loved to tell a story, and his favorite team was the Texas Aggies, come hell or high water.   Want to know about the Seco Flood?  Ask Matt.  Want to know about the Highway 90 baseball league?   Ask Matt.  Want to know who the Aggies are recruiting this year?   Ask Matt.

He was a dependable man.  You could count on him to eat beef, go to church on Sunday, drive a Ford, vote conservative, think before he spoke, and value his family and friends.

We'll miss him.

He is preceded in death by his parents; his wife of 64 years, Beatrice Ney Koch; sons, Ronald "Ronnie" and Joseph "Joey"; and his siblings, Louise (Blount), Leo, Charlotte (Lutz), Bernard, and Eugene.

He is survived by his daughters, Doris M. Koch of Round Rock and Suzanne Koch of D'Hanis; son, Gary Koch (Georgina) of San Antonio; daughters-in-law, Teresa Koch and Stephanie Koch, both of D'Hanis; grandchildren (Allison Dent and Matthew Delery, Gene William Koch, Owen and Emily Koch, Jon and James Koch) and great-grandchildren (Annaleigh and Jameson Dent).

Rosary will be at 12:30 p.m, followed by Funeral Mass at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 3, at Holy Cross Catholic Church, D'Hanis, with interment at Holy Cross Cemetery, D'Hanis.

Memorials may be made to the Holy Cross Catholic Church Building Fund or to the fund of your choice.