Carol C. Koch

Carol Claire Koch (Holdsworth) of Casper passed away peacefully in her home on January 2,
2023, at the age of 86.

Carol was born on June 19, 1936 in Brooklyn, NY to John and Ethel (Anderson) Holdsworth. She
was one of three siblings. Her sister Virginia (George) Eichenauer is 5 years older and her best
friend, her brother, Richard (Marilyn) Holdsworth, is 8 years younger and they were very close
as adults. She graduated from Sewanhaka High School, in Floral Park, NY. Less than a year after
high school graduation, she married Alexi P. Nelson and together they had three children; Neal
(Maureen) Nelson, Lynne (Brad) York and Steven (Barbara) Nelson.

One of Carol's favorite things to do growing up on Long Island was to go to the ocean. She just
loved the beach, the sound of the seagulls, the crash of the waves and the gentle cool breeze
off the water. When she was a young teenager, she and her best friend, hitchhiked to Jones
Beach several times. I don't think her parents ever knew. In the summers as a young mother,
she could be found at the beach with her sister Ginny and all their kids.

Carol worked in furniture sales for about 35 years. She started in a store on Long Island and was
hired by Brockman's Furniture in Casper. That was one catalyst to her moving to Casper, the
other being the birth of her first grandchild. After Brockman's closed, she worked at Plains
Furniture until she was in her 70's. She loved decorating the showroom floor and rearranging
the furniture at work and in her families' homes.

It was here in Casper, where she met Troy Koch. They were married on Veterans Day in 1984.
She liked to say it was because they were a couple of veterans of marriage. Troy brought two
young sons to their marriage, Mike (Stacie) Koch and Stephen (Tammy) Koch. Carol really
embraced the western way of life with her husband, where they enjoyed hunting and fishing
together. Fishing was one of her favorite activities. She often said she was a fair-weather hunter
and it was a running joke in the family, that we never knew what type of meat we'd be eating if
she had us over for dinner.

Carol loved to paint and was a very talented artist. She and Ginny, would go to art shows all
over Long Island to display and sell their work. Here in Casper, Carol continued her artwork and
belonged to the Casper Art Guild and exhibited her paintings at ART 321. She won several
awards for her art over the years and continued painting up until last year when she was
diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Carol was very active in the community and with her church, Highland Park Community Church.
She often painted scenes on the Sunday school walls and the scenery for the Holiday plays. She
was also a leader with Women in the Word. She was very caring and always liked to be busy. In
her spare time, she often volunteered at Visions Beyond Borders and at Celebrate Recovery.
Carol was preceded in death by her parents, her father-in-law, John Koch, her brother-in-law,
George, her nephew Scott Eichenauer and her great-granddaughter, Cloey.

Carol is survived by her husband, her three children, two step-sons, her mother-in-law Viola
Koch, 16 grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren, several nieces and nephews and many friends.
A celebration of life will be held at Highland Park Community Church, 5725 Highland Dr, Casper,
WY 82609, on January 19, 2023 at 11:00 am.