James ((Jim) Koch, 79, of Fresno, passed away on August 2, 2022 from complications of cancer.

Jim was born in 1942 in Iowa to Harlan and Esther Koch. The family lived in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois before moving to Palo Alto, California in the mid-1950's.

Jim was a natural athlete:  he was an ice skater, played hockey, canoed, golfed. He was a marbles champion when young.  At Palo Alto High School (Paly), Jim ran track and cross-country under the tutelage of famed Coach, Forrest Jamieson. He co-captained the team in his senior year, where he was part of the cross-country teams' White Hat Honor Society: the symbol of membership was a white hat for doing a mile and a half in eight minutes.

Jim earned his BA degree at San Jose State in Economics.  He attended Cal Poly SLO where he studied Animal Sciences, and CSU Fresno where he studied Accounting. Jim taught Animal Science at the Universidad Venezuela, Agricultural Economics at CSU Fresno, and also at the Heald Business School.

Jim, like his father, joined the Marines, and then in 1965 Jim joined the Peace Corps. He served two years with the Peace Corps in Venezuela, and continued living in South America after completing his service with the Corps. He joined his family in Fresno in the early 1970's and worked with his father in an agricultural accounting business.

Jim was active in a number of community organizations, including the Fresno Development Corporation and the Fresno Downtown Association.

Fully fluent in Spanish, Jim went to work with the I.R.S. helping Spanish-speaking taxpayers across the country for 29 years. He was active in National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), and was instrumental in conducting multiple NTEU activities, such as elections and charitable events.

Jim retired from the I.R.S. in 2014 and devoted his full attention to investment properties he'd acquired over the years, including a meeting facility that he loved making available for various types of meetings and celebratory functions.

Jim was predeceased by his younger brother Richard and his parents, Harlan and Esther. His is survived by his wife Carole, his son Russell, his first wife Mimi, his brothers John and Martin, and their families.

Graveside services will be held at Fresno Memorial Gardens, 175 S Cornelia Avenue, Fresno, CA 93706, on Tuesday, November 15, at 9:30 am.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Central California Food Bank, or another charity of personal choice.02/2022