Doris Ann Koch, 84, of Nixa, Mo., passed in peace on Easter Day, Sunday, March 31, 2024, surrounded by family at her home. It was the perfect day for her to go be with the Lord.

Ann was born June 25, 1939, in Higginsville, Mo., the only daughter of Chester H. Tempel and Dorothy Mabel (Bruns) Tempel. She was preceded in death by her two brothers, Robert Allen Tempel and Clyde Kent Tempel.

Ann's early years were spent on a large family farm in Higginsville, Mo. Upon graduating from Higginsville High School, she attended college at Elmhurst College near Chicago, where she earned a bachelor's degree in education. She spent many years teaching English in the classroom to elementary-age children and also tutored homebound-high school students.

She enjoyed many hobbies, especially her love of cooking and gardening. She always shared many of the vegetables and flowers she grew with friends and neighbors. She looked forward to watching baseball in the spring and football in the fall. Her creative and clever side shined through many things she made such as drip-and-drape dolls for the church bazaar or sewing herself a new dress for spring. She never met a stranger, was generous, kind, and always thinking of others. She was an active member for many years at First and Calvary Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Mo., where she regularly attended the Forty-Niners Sunday School class, Abigail Circle, and numerous Bible studies.

On August 12, 1961, Ann married Edmund Otto Koch at Salem United Church of Christ, Higginsville, Mo. She is survived by their two children, David A. Koch and Diana L. Hume, both of McKinney, Tx.; five grandchildren, and one great grandchild, all of whom learned so much from her and loved her dearly. Each cherish special memories of her.

Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 9, 2024, at First and Calvary Presbyterian Church under the care of Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home. A reception will follow in the church's atrium. A private, family graveside service will be held in the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Higginsville, Mo. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to First and Calvary Presbyterian Church, Salvation Army, or Convoy of Hope.