Friends recall Koch's owner with fondness

Deli owner Lou Koch died Sunday after purchasing groceries for an elderly neighbor who was unable to shop for himself, according to Frank O'Neill, a close family friend. Koch, 50, was found in his car -- still parked in the Acme Market parking lot on City Line Avenue -- at approximately 1:30 p.m. He had apparently complained of chest pains before leaving the store. The cause of his death is still unknown, according to an official at the Lankenau Hospital, where Koch was taken. An autopsy was performed yesterday, and the results should be available today, the official said. Koch's Take Out Shop, located at 4309 Locust St., is a favorite restaurant of many University students. Hundreds appreciated both the food and the humor of Koch and his brother, Bob. Customers would often wait in line for more than an hour in order to sink their teeth into an overstuffed sandwich or drink an award-winning milkshake. The deli opened its doors 29 years ago, under the ownership of Koch's parents Sid and Frances. Since then, Lou and Bob Koch have taken over the enterprise. "But Frances is still very much part of the deli," said O'Neill, who is also an employee at the deli. "She is the woman behind the scenes." O'Neill, a graduate student at Temple University, knew Lou Koch for about 14 years. He is acting as spokesperson for the family. "The jokes and hellos that the customers saw were only a small part of Louis," he said. "He was also a very giving person." Others agreed with this assessment of Koch's character. "Lou liked customers not because they were customers, but because he liked people," said Michael Friedman, a Mellon Bank employee and a 1994 University graduate. Friedman said he ate at Koch's "practically once a week for five years." "[Koch] remembered everybody's name," Friedman added. "If you were there once, that was it. He knew you." Engineering junior Blake Mills also said he would mourn the community's recent loss. "[Koch] took pride in his work, always treated his customers with respect, and was a great personality behind the counter," Mills said. Koch's Take Out Shop will be closed next week, O'Neill said. The family has no plans to close permanently, he added. Koch is survived by his mother Frances, and his brothers Barry and Bob.

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