Kelly Ryan Koch

NORFOLK – Funeral service for Kelly R. Koch, 49, of Norfolk will be held on Friday, May 30, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. at Stonacek Funeral Chapel in Norfolk, NE. Rev. Caitlin Bentzinger will be officiating the service. Interment will be held at Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery in Norfolk. Visitation will be held on Thursday, May 29, 2025 from 4-7:00 p.m. at Stonacek Funeral Chapel in Norfolk. Kelly passed away on Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Faith Regional Hospital in Norfolk. https://www.stonacekfuneralchapel.com/obituaries/kelly-koch/#!/PhotosVideos. Stonacek Funeral Chapel in Norfolk is in charge of the arrangements. Kelly passed away too soon in life. Originally diagnosed with cancer at just 38 years old, Kelly fought against all odds and survived seven years before metastasis. Then after being told he only had months to live, he fought hard for another four years before the options for meds ran out. Kelly was born January 2, 1976 in Norfolk just minutes before his twin sister; the number of minutes has long been debatable. He grew up in Norfolk and attended Norfolk Public Schools where he graduated in 1994. He attended Wayne State College and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design. He met his wife, Ashly, and they were married July 2, 2011. They became an instant family with his stepson, Charles, and added Daphne and Griffin in the years after. His family was his absolute pride and joy, fulfilling his lifelong goals. He worked at Norfolk Iron and Metal for nearly 20 years. He also spent his earlier years working at Taco Johns, Valentino’s, and Walmart. Kelly grew up loving sports and was a lifelong fan of Husker football, Cincinnati Bengals NFL, Boston Celtics NBA, Chicago White Sox MLB, and WWE Wrestling. He played slow pitch softball for church leagues for about 20 years. Kelly enjoyed playing softball, and golf. He was always up for a new pack of Pokemon cards. He loved opening them and sorting them out for the kids. He relaxed by playing video games and had just about every console made. He loved a good barbecue after a somewhat successful shopping trip, and spending time with close friends and their families, playing games like Dominoes. His longest friends have known each other since Junior High School and they made so many memories throughout life that they loved to relive and laugh about over and over again. He was truly loved by his friends. He was talented as an artist and enjoyed seeing the kids find their artistic abilities. His twin sister was his built in lifelong best friend. He enjoyed razzing her, as much as she enjoyed razzing him back. But no matter what, he could always count on her to be there to share all the good and bad times. Kelly was a very hands on person and could fix just about anything on his own. If he didn’t know how to do it, he studied YouTube videos for hours beforehand so he knew what to do. If he ever bought a bike for the kids, he bought one in a box and put it together himself, skills learned from working at Walmart during his college years. He and his friends spent many hours installing stereos and speakers in nearly every single vehicle they owned including his golf cart, that is until his wife refused to let him touch her vehicles. Anyone that knew Kelly knows that he had a few catch phrases that he couldn’t help but say in pretty much all his conversations. “Do the math,” “At the end of the day,” “Hear me out,” “Hit rocks,” and “I don’t know man.” These are referred to as Kellyisms. Survivors include wife Ashly, children Charles, Daphne and Griffin. Father Jim Koch, siblings Trevor (Evelyn) Koch, Tracy (Julie) Koch, Nicole Koch, twin sister Kerrie Koch, and several nieces and nephews. Kelly was preceded in death by his mother Jean Koch, grandparents Arnold and Wyleen Schaaf, and Allan and Grace Koch, and Great Uncle Antone Schaaf. Condolences may be expressed to the family on-line at www.stonacekfuneralchapel.com.

Tributes

Kelly Ryan Koch

January 2, 1976 - May 24, 2025