Ryan Koch Obituary Wentworth-Some people walk through life quietly — not because they don’t matter, but because they’re too busy actually doing things to make any noise about it. Ryan T. Koch was that kind of person. He served his country. He earned multiple degrees. He spent two decades building a career that took him from Alaska to California to New England. He mentored struggling youth. He served his church. He loved his wife with the kind of steady, thoughtful devotion that most people only read about.
And then, on Easter Sunday — April 5, 2026 — he was gone. He was 45 years old.
The Ryan Koch obituary has touched countless people across Maine, New Hampshire, and beyond. Friends, colleagues, church family, and former coworkers have poured out memories and grief in equal measure. What emerges from every tribute is the same portrait: a man of extraordinary character who never once made it about himself.
This is his story.
Who Was Ryan T. Koch? A Life Worth Knowing
A Boy From Bangor Who Never Stopped Growing
Ryan Thomas Koch was born on March 10, 1981, in Bangor, Maine, into a family that would shape him deeply. He grew up in Bangor, attended local schools, and graduated from Bangor High School in 1999. Even as a teenager, there was something about Ryan — a seriousness of purpose mixed with a genuine warmth — that set him apart.
He wasn’t the loudest person in any room. He didn’t need to be. The people who got close to him quickly realized that quiet and ordinary were two very different things. Ryan was anything but ordinary.
The Student Who Turned Learning Into a Lifelong Habit
After high school, Ryan enrolled at Husson University, where, according to those who knew him, his love of learning truly caught fire. It wasn’t just a phase. Ryan kept going back to school throughout his life, determined to keep building, keep growing, keep reaching.
He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Baker College in Michigan. Then he pushed further — completing a Master’s degree in Business from the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University, one of the most respected international business programs in the country. These weren’t just credentials. They were chapters in the story of a man who believed in doing the work.
Ryan Koch’s Military Service — A Soldier’s Commitment
Serving in the Army National Guard
Alongside his studies and early career, Ryan Koch made a decision that defined his character more clearly than any diploma could. He joined the Army National Guard. It wasn’t a path of least resistance. It was a choice — a deliberate, values-driven choice — to serve something bigger than himself.
The discipline and work ethic Ryan built through military service became threads woven throughout everything he did afterward. Colleagues noticed it. His church noticed it. His wife noticed it. You don’t go through that kind of training and come out the other side unchanged, and Ryan carried those qualities — structure, commitment, care for others — with him for the rest of his life.
A Tour of Duty in Afghanistan
Ryan was deployed to Afghanistan as part of his service with the National Guard. He didn’t talk much about it, as is common with many who’ve seen service in difficult places. But those who knew him understood that the experience deepened him. It gave him a frame of reference for what really mattered. For gratitude. For the preciousness of ordinary life.
It probably had something to do with why he worked with struggling youth later in life. When you’ve seen the world’s hardest edges, you tend to care more about protecting the people who are still figuring things out.
A Career Built on Purpose, Not Just Paychecks
Two Decades With Grainger
Ryan Koch spent 20 years of his professional life with Grainger, the industrial supply company — a tenure that took him to some surprising corners of the country. He lived and worked in Alaska. He spent time in California. He worked throughout New England. For a kid from Bangor who grew up on the Maine coast, those postings represented an enormous amount of growth, adaptability, and courage.
Twenty years with one organization means something. It means loyalty, depth, and the trust of the people around you. Ryan built relationships at Grainger that lasted well beyond his tenure there.
From UNH to DuPont — Always Moving Forward
After leaving Grainger, Ryan took on roles at the University of New Hampshire before moving most recently to DuPont, where he had spent the past year and a half of his life. He never stopped challenging himself professionally. Even when he could have coasted, he didn’t. He kept finding new environments, new problems, new ways to contribute.
That drive wasn’t ego. It was just who Ryan was. He genuinely wanted to stay engaged, to stay useful, to keep learning. His colleagues described him as someone who took on extra work not out of financial need, but simply because sitting still didn’t suit him.
The Work That Meant the Most — Youth Behavioral Health
Here’s what’s important to understand about Ryan Koch: among all his professional roles — the corporate positions, the management titles, the impressive credentials — the work that mattered most to him was none of those things.
It was his work as a behavioral health professional, providing care and support to young people who were struggling.
Think about that for a moment. A man with an MBA from one of the top global management schools in the country, with 20 years of corporate experience, found his deepest professional fulfillment sitting with hurting teenagers and helping them find a way through.
That tells you everything you need to know about Ryan Koch.
Faith, Community, and the Man Behind the Resume
Deacon at the Rochester Seventh-day Adventist Church
Ryan Koch was a man of deep and sincere faith. He served as a Deacon at the Rochester Seventh-day Adventist Church — a role that reflected not just his beliefs, but his commitment to living those beliefs in real, practical ways. Being a Deacon isn’t an honorary title. It’s active service to a congregation. It’s showing up, week after week, to serve the people in your community.
That fit Ryan perfectly.
Leadership in Safety Professionals and Beyond
Ryan also gave his time and energy to the American Society of Safety Professionals, where he served as president-elect of the Maine Chapter. He was actively involved with the Greater Boston Chapter as well. This wasn’t resume-padding. Ryan genuinely cared about the field of workplace safety and the people in it. He showed up. He led. He served.
Golf, College Football, and the Simple Joys
Not everything about Ryan Koch was weighty. He loved golf with a real passion, and he was a proud member of Cochecho Country Club in Dover, New Hampshire. On fall Saturdays, you could find him fully absorbed in college football — the kind of fan who actually knows the game, not just the scores.
He was funny. Genuinely, effortlessly funny — quirky in ways that people found instantly endearing. He lived frugally, not because he had to, but because that’s how he was built. And yet, when it came to the people and causes he cared about, he gave without hesitation.
The Love Story — Ryan and Stephanie
A Husband Who Showed Love in the Quiet Ways
Ryan Koch was deeply, completely devoted to his wife, Stephanie. Not in a showy, social media kind of way. In the real way — through handwritten notes, thoughtful gestures, and the kind of consistent, daily care that builds a life together.
Colleagues who worked with Ryan said they always knew how he felt about Stephanie — because he told them. He talked about her constantly. He praised her. He was openly proud of her. One colleague wrote that hearing Ryan speak about his wife was “truly beautiful,” adding that it seemed impossible for him to be any more proud of the person she was.
That’s the kind of husband Ryan Koch was.
What Those Who Worked With Ryan Always Noticed
People who worked alongside Ryan carried memories that have a consistent theme: his selflessness. He was the first to offer help. The first to celebrate someone else’s good news. The first to ask if you were okay and actually mean it.
When a colleague got married, Ryan couldn’t have been happier for her that she’d found her person. He cared about the people around him the way some people care about family — because to Ryan, the line between colleague and family was blurry at best.
Ryan Koch Obituary — Death and Service Details
When and Where Ryan Koch Passed Away
Ryan T. Koch passed away unexpectedly on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026, at Wentworth-Douglas Hospital in Dover, New Hampshire. He was 45 years old. He had been living in Springvale, Maine, with his wife Stephanie at the time of his death.
The word “unexpectedly” in his obituary carries real weight. This wasn’t a long illness or a slow decline. Ryan Koch — active, engaged, still working, still serving, still planning — was taken suddenly. The shock of that reality is part of what has made his loss so hard for those who loved him.
Funeral Visitation and Service Information
The family has arranged the following services for Ryan T. Koch:
- Visitation: Monday, April 13, 2026, from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Black-Heald & Walker Funeral Home, 580 Main Street, Springvale, Maine
- Funeral Service: Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at 11:00 AM at the same location — Black-Heald & Walker Funeral Home in Springvale
Those wishing to attend are encouraged to reach out to the funeral home for any additional details. The services are an opportunity to gather, grieve, and celebrate a life that touched far more people than Ryan himself probably ever knew.
Ryan Koch’s Cause of Death
At this time, no official cause of death has been publicly disclosed by the family. The obituary describes his passing as unexpected — occurring on Easter Sunday at Wentworth-Douglas Hospital. The family has not released further details, and their privacy during this time deserves full respect. When and if further information becomes available, it will be shared through official family channels.
Those Who Survive and Those Who Preceded Him
His Beloved Family
Ryan is survived by a large and loving family:
- His beloved wife, Stephanie Koch of Springvale, Maine
- His father, Helmut Koch, and partner Sue Kulman of Bradenton, Florida
- His mother, Peggy Faloon, and her husband George of Eddington, Maine
- His sisters: Sheri Kirch and husband Henry of Ottsville, Pennsylvania; Shawna Hernandez and husband Alex of Hope Mills, North Carolina; and Cristin Bower and fiancé Jake Stone of Hubert, North Carolina
- His parents-in-law, William and Margaret Clifford of Bangor
- His sisters-in-law, Megan Clifford and fiancé Daniel Blackmer of Wilton, New Hampshire, and Julie Hetherman and husband Corey of Miami, Florida
- Many nieces and nephews
- His beloved cat, F. Scott Fitzgerald
That last detail — the cat named F. Scott Fitzgerald — says everything about who Ryan was. A man with a serious career, serious faith, and serious commitments, who named his cat after a Jazz Age novelist. That’s a whole personality in one detail.
Preceded in Death
The obituary does not list specific individuals Ryan was preceded in death by, but the family’s circle of love is evident in every tribute that has been shared.
How to Honor Ryan Koch’s Memory
Memorial Contributions in His Name
In lieu of flowers, Ryan’s family has asked that those wishing to express sympathy consider making a memorial donation to a charity of their choice, or — in particular — one that supports youth mental health. This request is not incidental. It points directly to the work Ryan found most meaningful during his life: caring for young people who were struggling.
If you want to honor Ryan Koch, think about the kids he used to sit with — the ones finding their way through hard things — and consider supporting an organization that does that work.
Supporting Youth Mental Health — Ryan’s Cause
Youth mental health organizations do the kind of work Ryan Koch gave his heart to. Some options worth considering include the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the Child Mind Institute, or local organizations in Maine and New Hampshire that serve youth in behavioral health crisis. Ryan’s donation to one of these organizations in his name isn’t just a gesture — it’s a continuation of who he was.
Tributes From Those Who Loved Him
The tributes that have poured in for Ryan Koch share a remarkable consistency. People don’t just say he was nice. They say he was the kind of person you didn’t know you needed in your life until he was there — and that once he was, it was impossible to imagine things without him.
One colleague captured it simply: “He was kind, generous, and effortlessly funny in his own way. He was quirky in all the right ways, and once you got to know Ryan, it was impossible not to love him.”
Another wrote about his unwavering generosity, noting that he was “the first to offer help, the first to celebrate others,” and someone who genuinely checked in to make sure the people around him were doing okay.
That’s Ryan Koch. Not complicated. Just consistently, remarkably good.
He was a shining example of integrity, quiet strength, and genuine human decency. The kind of person the world doesn’t make enough of. And the kind of person whose absence is felt immediately, deeply, and for a very long time.
Rest easy, Ryan.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ryan Koch Obituary
When did Ryan T. Koch pass away?
Ryan T. Koch passed away unexpectedly on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026, at Wentworth-Douglas Hospital in Dover, New Hampshire. He was 45 years old and lived in Springvale, Maine.
Where is the funeral service for Ryan Koch?
Visitation for Ryan T. Koch is scheduled for Monday, April 13, 2026, from 4:00 to 7:00 PM at Black-Heald & Walker Funeral Home, 580 Main Street, Springvale, Maine. The funeral service follows on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at 11:00 AM at the same location.
What was Ryan Koch’s cause of death?
No official cause of death has been released by Ryan Koch’s family. His obituary describes his passing as unexpected. The family’s privacy is being respected, and no further details have been publicly disclosed as of this writing.
Where did Ryan Koch work?
Ryan Koch had a distinguished career spanning multiple fields. He spent 20 years with Grainger, worked at the University of New Hampshire, and most recently joined DuPont. His most personally meaningful role, however, was as a behavioral health professional working with youth in need.
Did Ryan Koch serve in the military?
Yes. Ryan Koch proudly served as a member of the Army National Guard, including a tour of duty in Afghanistan. His military service reflected his deep commitment to country, community, and a life of purpose.
How can I make a memorial donation for Ryan Koch?
The Koch family has asked that in lieu of flowers, those wishing to honor Ryan consider donating to a charity of their choice, with special encouragement toward organizations supporting youth mental health. This request reflects Ryan’s lifelong dedication to supporting young people through some of their hardest moments.
Who survives Ryan T. Koch?
Ryan is survived by his wife Stephanie Koch; his father Helmut Koch; his mother Peggy Faloon; his sisters Sheri Kirch, Shawna Hernandez, and Cristin Bower; his in-laws William and Margaret Clifford; his sisters-in-law Megan Clifford and Julie Hetherman; many nieces and nephews; and his beloved cat F. Scott Fitzgerald.