COLERIDGE— Phyllis R. Koch, 102, Coleridge, formerly of St. James, died May 10, 2026, at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital, Yankton, S.D.

Mass of Christian Burial will be May 13, 2026, at 10:30 a.m., at Holy Family (Sacred Heart) Catholic Church, Wynot, with Rev. Owen Korte officiating.

Burial will be at Sts. Philip & James Cemetery, St. James.

Visitation will be Tuesday, at Sacred Heart Church, Wynot, from 5-7 p.m., with a Vigil Service at 7 p.m. Visitation will continue Wednesday, one hour prior to services.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Wintz Funeral Home, Hartington.

Pallbearers will be Phyllis’ grandchildren. Honorary pallbearers will be her grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.

Phyllis was born Jan. 20, 1924, at Bunker Hill, near Bow Valley, to Paul A. and Pauline (Stappert) Noecker. She attended Bunker Hill School District 72, southeast of Bow Valley for six years. In 1935, she moved to St. James with her parents and attended St. James Public School. She graduated from Wynot High school in 1941. After graduation, Phyllis worked for her parents who managed the St. James Service Station and Grocery Store. For one winter, she worked as a “Rosie the Riveter” in Omaha which made parts for bomber planes during WWII. The next winter, she worked for an egg plant in Omaha. She would work six months during the winter and then come home during the summer to help her parents.

She married Cyril Francis Koch Oct. 1, 1945, at Sts. Philip & James Catholic Church, St. James. They lived on a farm in Brookey Bottom several years and in 1952, they moved to a farm south of St. James. She and Cyril celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary October 1995. Phyllis moved to The Embers Assisted Living, Coleridge, in September 2018.

Phyllis belonged to Sts. Philip & James Catholic Church and the Ladies Altar Society. She then belonged to Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Wynot, and the Council of Catholic Women.

You could always find Phyllis outside in her garden, tending to her flowers, putting jigsaw puzzles together or in the kitchen with her children and grandchildren, laughing, playing games and creating memories. Her children and their families were very important to her.

She is survived by five children and spouses, Pat (Jim) Hames, Crofton; Maurice (Vicky) Koch, Wynot; Dennis Koch, Bennington; Mary Lynn Arens, Hartington; Bonnie (George) Tanderup, Newcastle; daughter-in-law, Jackie Koch, Hubbard; 22 grandchildren; 41 great-grandchildren; one great-greatgrandchild; sisters-in-law, Mavis Koch, Wynot, and Irene Peitz, Orland, Calif.; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Phyllis was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Cyril, June 17, 2005, at the age of 86; son, Richard; son-in-law, Chuck Arens; sister and brother-in-law, Erma (Frank) Promes; infant sister, Betty Jean Noecker; brother and sister-in-law, Ralph “Bud” (Mary McCluskey) Noecker; infant brother; and great-granddaughter, Janet Eckmann.