Victoria “Vicki” A. Koch, 73, of Fairway, Kansas passed away at her home on August 23, 2019. She was preceded in death by her mother Gertrude Yoest Koch and her father Francis Koch. Vicki was born on December 31, 1945 in Kansas City, Mo. and baptized at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church. The family moved to Fairway, KS in 1951. She attended St. Agnes Grade School and Bishop Miege High School, both in Roeland Park, KS. She earned her Bachelors degree in Personnel Administration from the University of Kansas. During her college years she had summer jobs at a spaghetti factory and at the Kansas City Country Club. Once graduated from KU she decided to search for a job in California. There she worked in human resource management for Broadway Department Stores and helped open stores in various cities in the west. She moved from there to a position with a bank in Phoenix. Her father died of cancer in 1971, and a few years after that she moved back home to Fairway and lived in her childhood home with her mother. Shortly after moving to Kansas City she found a job in human resources with United Telecom in Westwood, KS. The company moved to Overland Park and became known as Sprint. Vicki moved up in the company and became a human resource director for one of the Sprint divisions. While working at Sprint her mother developed cancer and had a long illness lasting many months. Vicki oversaw the care of her mother at their home. This was a challenge for her to deal with caregiving along with her demanding job. Her mother died in 1993.
Vicki participated in many programs of the Catholic Church. She was very active in Cursillo, living her Cursillo weekend in 1994 in Wichita, Kansas. She served on the Secretariat and had many other leadership roles and weekend teams. Vicki completed a course in Philosophy and Religious Studies offered by Loyola University, New Orleans. Vicki belonged to St. Agnes Parish as a child and young adult and rejoined that Parish after returning to Kansas City. She helped in the Parish office, and helped with the preparation of lunches following funerals. Her cooking skills served Redemptorist Church in Kansas City as well, where she cooked and served lunches for the poor on Saturdays. She went through the Stephen Ministries program.
Vicki worked for many years in service to the poor and homeless at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. She began her work as a volunteer preparing and handing out sack lunches to the homeless in the Cathedral Courtyard. Eventually she was appointed Director of Social Services at the Cathedral. Not long after that, Diocesan Catholic Charities moved out of a large building by the Cathedral. Vicki saw opportunity in the empty space and obtained permission to use the space and move the lunch program indoors, and thus was established Hospitality House. Vicki continued to lead in the expansion of the program and Morning Glory Ministries was founded where breakfast was offered, food to go provided, and an environment in which the homeless could socialize, join scripture study in a small group if desired and feel at home. Morning Glory Ministries continues and is a wonderful legacy of Vicki.
Travel was one of Vicki’s great joys. She traveled with friends on many trips over the years to various places like Branson, MO, Cape Cod, New Orleans, LA, Ireland, Iceland, England, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Korea, and many more. She also very much liked getting together frequently with small groups of her friends. But she could also enjoy being alone, and reading on nice days on her porch.
Vicki is survived by her brother Richard Koch, by many cousins and a multitude of wonderful friends.
Funeral Service with will be on Thursday, August 29 at St. Agnes Catholic Church in Roeland Park, KS. Rosary will be at 9 AM with visitation following and then Funeral Mass at 10 AM.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Morning Glory Ministries, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 416 W. 12th St., K.C., MO 64105.