You are the author and the sentence is your life." ~ Project Semicolon
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And so it was, as it is with all of us – Louis Koch was the earthly author of his story.
His narrative was one filled with both great love and difficult hardships from an early age. But his Lord, his heavenly Author, gave him strong supporting characters to help him on his journey, and Louis' story unfolded with more experiences and achievements than the average teen protagonist.
A deep faith in his Savior led him to enjoy serving and participating in Velocity Student Ministry at Parker Hill Church in Dickson City, Pa. He was also an avid outdoorsman, serving on the board of the Lackawanna Valley Trout Unlimited Teens and as a Pennsylvania State Representative in the Trout Unlimited Teen Summit National Leadership Conference in Wisconsin. Additionally, Louis was awarded first place in the PJAS (Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science) competition in 2015.
Always one to exceed in academics, Louis was a distinguished honor roll student at Holy Cross High School entering his junior year. He was a member of the Fictional Fanatics Club and won the Young Writers Award in the short story category in 2013. After receiving an academic scholarship, Louis was accepted into the IHM (Immaculate Heart of Mary) Honors Program, which allowed dual enrollment at Holy Cross and Marywood University. While in high school he also participated in choir, archery, yearbook, and student government. Perhaps most enjoyable to Louis was his longtime hobby of creating flavorful cups of coffee and espresso for his friends and family.
At age 16, Louis's life was at a new peak. Reading from the outside, it seemed to be the writings of an epic tale of success.
But for reasons that are still a mystery, Louis chose not to continue his story with a semicolon, and instead ended his narrative, his life, with heartbreaking question marks.
Louis Angel Koch, April 22, 1999–July 26, 2015
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Please join us on July 23rd, 2016, for The Louis Koch 5k Memorial Run for Suicide Awareness, where we will remember Louis and bring suicidal awareness and support to our community.
Location:
LHVA Trail, Olive Street Trailhead, Scranton, PA 18508
Time:
Day of Registration/Packet Pickup: 7:00am - 8:15am
Info:
5k Run 8:30AM EDT $20 Price increases June 30, 2016 at 11:59pm EDT
5k Walk 8:30AM EDT $20 Price increases June 30, 2016 at 11:59pm EDT
The race will raise funds for a memorial scholarship that will be given for underprivileged youth to attend the Keystone/Trout Unlimited Teens Conservation Camp held annually at Keystone College in La Plume, PA. Portions of the funds will also be given to the Louis A. Koch Annual Memorial Scholarship at Holy Cross High School in Dunmore, PA
For more information and to sign up for the Memorial Run visit:https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/Scranton/LouisKoch5KMemorialRunforSuicideAwareness
