Nelda Ann Koch

Nelda Ann Koch was born to Ernest and Elizabeth (Brand) Dotson on January 6, 1930 in Des Moines, Iowa. Her Epiphany Day birthday perfectly exemplified her life. Like the star that led the Magi to Jesus, she led a life that shone brightly and directed others to her Savior whether in times of sorrow and struggle or in times of great joy.

When Nelda was 8 years old, she and her siblings, Nedra and David, lost their mother to cancer. They were blessed to have grandparents who helped to take care of them and didn’t mind having a mischievous, rough and tumble, basketball loving child in their lives. A true child of the depression era, Nelda was extremely resourceful and independent, didn’t waste anything, and got her first job at a hardware store when she was just 14 years old. Not soon after high school graduation, she began a job as a secretary at Bankers Life in Des Moines.

On September 4, 1954, she married Ernst A Koch. Children Krista, Ernie, Lisa, and Robert were welcomed between 1957 and 1964, filling her life with lots of child-related activities (and laundry, for sure). She was a much-loved carpool mom: cramming kids in the ’68 VW bus for field trips, sports events at rival Lutheran schools, Girl Scout outings, and soccer games in faraway places like Dublin and Livermore. Most notable was her tolerance of her boisterous passengers as they sang pop songs of the day--although there was one time when she did ask a car full of Girl Scouts," not to sing Leaving on a Jet Plane one more time, please!”

She worked off and on typing for a law firm from home and babysitting here and there. When the kids were in their teens, she began her stint as a church secretary at Faith Lutheran Church in Fair Oaks, and then at Mt. Olive in Folsom where she kept her son-in-law, Pastor Russ, in check. All bulletins and newsletters were done by mimeograph in those days, and a few of her boo-boos still bring a smile to peoples’ faces. She was thrilled when an italic ball was available for her IBM Selectric typewriter…so high tech!

Nelda attended Faith Lutheran, Mt. Olive Lutheran, and Town & Country Lutheran churches over the years and was a vital part of each Lutheran Women’s Missionary League—always happy to lend a hand with projects outside of her job as church secretary. She produced a church cookbook, craftily (and cheaply) making the covers from cardboard and wallpaper samples; she crocheted numerous baby blankets for the crisis nursery and lap blankets for seniors; she was one of the mighty crafters who put on amazing Christmas Bazaars at Mt. Olive on which they worked all year round.

Of course, her grandchildren Jacob, Lauren, Jordan and Aubrey brought her great happiness, and she was instrumental in caring for them while Lisa worked and while Krista pursued her education. She supported their childhood activities as enthusiastically as she had her own children, loving every musical performance or track meet, but, especially, their basketball games. A complete basketball nut, she could watch college girls’ basketball games back-to-back-to-back and always had something to say about what went wrong with the King’s game.

At nearly 95 years old, she experienced all that life has to offer and even got a chance to enjoy her great-grandson, Jasper, whose playful antics at family get-togethers and amazing golfing videos made her laugh out loud even as she was nearing the end of her life’s journey. Her presence here will be greatly missed, but we are grateful she lived a life that testified to her Savior’s love for her and to her love for Him.

A celebration of Nelda's Life will be held on Wednesday, December 11th at 11:00am at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church, 320 Montrose Drive, Folsom CA 95630

In lieu of flowers (to which Nelda was highly allergic), you may make a gift in her honor to the Mt. Olive Lutheran LWML or other charity of your choice.