June 10, 2026, 58, Mount Olive – Gregory Don Koch was born on March 7, 1968, and had his last ride on June 10, 2026.
When he was two months old, he was adopted by Gary and Gloria Koch and went home with them to Enid, OK. Greg later grew up in Everman, TX for a few years and in Orlando, OK for the rest of his school years. He attended the Orlando United Methodist Church and was baptized in 1981 while being part of YF. He was active in FFA, baseball, and basketball and graduated from Mulhall-Orlando High School in 1986. He attended Meridian Vo-Tech in Stillwater where he developed his welding skills, a trade that he would use throughout his life and originally started working welding trailers at Guthrie Welding company.
Greg moved to North Carolina in 1992 to work as a millwright and that is where he met Jaye Jones and they married in 1994. They made their home in the Oak Ridge community and were married for 25 years until her passing in 2019. One of his greatest joys in life was being a Dad to his four daughters Bailey, Kristen, Mikayla, & Rayanna. Greg was a true “girl dad” and loved doing everything with them. He went to all their activities including pageants, softball, and any school functions and served as coach for many of their teams. He was their biggest cheerleader in life, proud of all their accomplishments, and wanted to be there for whatever they needed. Later in life, he earned a new title of Poopa and had a new round of enjoyment being with and causing trouble with his grandchildren.
Just slightly behind being a Dad and Poopa, Greg loved bareback and bullriding. He started riding when he was in high school and continued for many years. Some of his rides and rodeo stories are legendary and he would recount them to those that would listen and anytime he pulled his Coors sponsored shirt out of his rigging bag. He also liked being around cattle all his life, beginning at an early age on his grandparents’ farm, on the farms of Goldsboro Milling, working for Jamie Dail, and most recently for Verl Brorsen.
Greg reunited with Kristy Golay in 2021, moved back to Oklahoma in 2023, and they were married on May 31, 2025. He enjoyed being with her these last few years, having time with his dogs Hank and Baker, and living and working on the Oklahoma prairie where he grew up.
Greg lived life his own way, almost always had a smile, and was loved by so many. He is survived by his wife Kristy (Golay) Koch of Perry, daughters Kristen Hamm (Ben) of Mount Olive, NC, Bailey Eyestone (Darin Sherman) of Chandler, Mikayla Koch & Rayanna Koch of Mount Olive, NC, step daughter Korbyn (Carter) Eustice (Michael) of Georgetown, Texas, parents Gary & Gloria Koch of Orlando, sister Genelle Cargill (Tim) and brother Geoffrey Koch all of Perry, grandchildren Brooklyn Eyestone, Paidyn Eyestone, Grayson Hamm, Connor Hamm, and Asher Fosnight and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends who all loved him. He was preceded in death by his wife Jaye (Jones) Koch, his grandparents, and his nephew Brendon Koch.
Greg will be laid to rest at the Jones Family Cemetery, Oak Ridge Avenue, Mount Olive, NC, beside of his late wife, Jay, following a graveside service which will be Thursday, June 18, at 11 a.m. Officiating will be Minister Coy Brock and Pastor Jeff Dail. The family will greet friends and relatives at the cemetery.
Visitation for Greg’s Oklahoma family and friends was Sunday, June 14, from 5 until 7 p.m. at Trout Funeral Home of Perry, Oklahoma. Funeral services were held Monday, June 15, at 1 p.m. at Orlando United Methodist Church in Orlando, Okla.
Comments