Excellent funeral for a truly deserving man. Didn't know a lot about John Koch except the usual small talk you make at church and church events. Turns out he was a leading biochemist at one of the bases here, and he did a lot with helping soldiers with war wounds. After he retired, he sort of became a fixture at the police station, so there were some 50 officers in uniform (right down to the guns and night sticks) that processed in together. Felt even safer in that sanctuary today.
John would always stand out front greeting people before the earlier service, in good and bad weather. Pastor talked about that and had a few jokes about what they would talk about and how welcome John made people feel. Before the end of his message, though, he got very choked up and had to take a moment before finishing.