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April 11, 2008
Walter Koch, age 89, one of the area's foremost leaders of the Boy Scouts, died on Wednesday, April 9, 2008. His passing spurred memories of a man whom at least one person in Cornwall called "the greatest Scoutmaster." Susan Ostrander, a resident of Cornwall-on-Hudson said Walter Koch was just an amazing guy...a superb scoutmaster, dedicated citizen, combat veteran of WWII and a true friend to many of us in Cornwall for a very long time.
Ostrander later wrote down some of her reminisces of Walter Koch, which follow here:
Walter Koch's patience and deadpan sense of humor are two of the many traits that come to my mind. He lived on Algernon St. for many years with his wife Betty (who predeceased him) and raised three, maybe four, kids there.
He was a Boy Scout leader for many years in Cornwall and was still active in scouting as the Pack Commissioner for at least two Packs, 6 and 20. (Read about the last Scout affair he attended in February.) When he passed. he still held the position of the Pack Commissioner for Packs 6 and 20. Koch was also a member of the "Old Goat Patrol"!
As a Scout leader, Koch took his troop on a 50-mile canoe/hike in the Adirondacks one summer. His favorite canoe story, I think, is about the one he hand-built in the attic of the Algernon house. When he finished it, he realized he couldn't get it out of the house without taking out a window!
Koch joined the U.S. Army around December 1, 1941, thinking it wouldn't be too long a hitch and obviously not knowing that the attack on Pearl Harbor was just days away. He was finally discharged early in 1946. Early in 1942 he was assigned to guard the Vanderbilt Mansion next to Hyde Park and not far from the home of President Roosevelt, along with some other MP's.
He told me the Vanderbilt heirs had deeded the mansion over to the U.S. government because they couldn't sell it or didn't want to maintain it. One of their first patrols was to literally go through the entire house, where they found that the basement had a complete wine cellar still intact. Curiously, all of the wine was promptly removed by the government he noted! Walt said he slept in one of the bedrooms with a fireplace lit to keep warm.
He also served in Bermuda while a runway was improved and ultimately was a part of the D-Day forces, although he was always mindful to tell folks that he didn't land on June 6th. He was in charge of a AAA (anti-aircraft artillery unit) in France. We know this from our Pack 6 interview when we feted him at our Blue & Gold Ceremony in 2003.
Koch was honored by the 4th of July Committee a few years back when he served as Grand Marshall for the parade.
Koch's son in Waterbury, Ct., is married to former mayor Ed Moulton's daughter! He also has a daughter in Yorktown Heights and another in Indiana. He has numerous grandchildren and was a great-grandfather.
I became Committee Chairman of Pack 6 at a time when we thought the pack might have to close. But thanks to the support and enthusiasm of Walt (and the late Pack Master Ed Sacer) we were able to turn the pack around and it still goes today!
Read Koch's obituary here.
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