By Ashley Anderson
The late William A. Koch, the patriarch of our LBI family, first came to LBI from his home in Philadelphia as a child to escape severe allergies. He often stayed well into September with his grandparents who rented in the Beach Haven area. During his teen years, he worked on the Island and brought his childhood sweetheart, Gloria G. Koch, née Godshall, for visits. She fell in love with Bill and with Long Beach Island.
In 1957, Bill bought an oceanside plot in North Beach and the house on pilings was built in 1958. They named the house KOKO; KO for Koch and KO for Kodak where Bill worked for forty years.
Our family calls shore time “camp” as they enjoy the beach, miniature golfing, surf lessons, and craft stores. We are blessed to be a growing family with four generations loving LBI.
