Roll Call Tribute

Harold Otto Koch, Jr. 

December 27, 1948 - December 18, 2025 

Harold Otto Koch, Jr., age 76, of Boerne, Texas, peacefully passed away after a long illness on December 18, 2025.

Services are pending and will be announced at a later date. Arrangements are under the care and direction of Holt & Holt Funeral Home of Boerne, Texas.

Harold Otto Koch, Jr. was born on December 27, 1948, in McAllen, Texas, to Harold Otto Koch, Sr. and Wilba Longhofer Koch. He grew up in Texas and graduated from Refugio High School in Refugio, Texas, in 1967. He went on to attend Texas A&M University in College Station, where he graduated in 1971 with a degree in Medical Microbiology and a minor in Chemistry.

Following his education, Harold proudly served his country in the United States Army for three years with the 5th Army Medical Reference Laboratory, attaining the rank of E-5. During his service, he received the Army Commendation Medal for his research in rabies diagnosis and anaerobic food microbiology. He continued his service for an additional three years in the Army Reserve.

After completing his military service, Harold built an accomplished career in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. He held senior management roles in business development, research and development, and clinical and regulatory affairs within the pharmaceutical and Class III medical device fields. Throughout his career, he served in leadership positions with Baxter/Travenol, Rorer Group, Cooper Companies, Akorn, Inc., Santen, Inc., and ultimately as Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer for Nestlé Health Science – Pamlab, Inc., until his retirement in 2014. He also consulted in product development and clinical regulatory work with numerous biotechnology companies and served on the boards of three organizations. Harold was the holder of three U.S. patents in the field of ophthalmology and had four additional patent applications related to the treatment of depression.

Harold is survived by his beloved wife of 52 years, Gail Buffington Koch; his sister, Sharon Koch, and her husband, Brad; his sister, Sandy Bramblett, and her husband, Miles; and numerous cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Harold Otto Koch, Sr. and Wilba Longhofer Koch, as well as most of his aunts and uncles.

In his spare time, Harold enjoyed fishing, hunting, and playing golf. Above all, his greatest joy was spending time with his family. He will be fondly remembered as the best dog dad ever to nine beloved Chihuahuas over the past 52 years.

The family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to the compassionate caregivers and medical professionals at The Haven at Stone Oak Memory Care; Pam Health Specialty Hospital of San Antonio; Bristol Hospice of San Antonio; Methodist Hospital of San Antonio – Stone Oak; Methodist Cardiology Clinic of San Antonio, including Dr. Jorge Alvarez and Denise Vega, DNP; UT Health San Antonio Family Geriatrics, including Dr. Maria Arbelaus and Deepa Sharma, DNP; Texas Oncology & Hematology, including Dr. Shruti Sharma; and Inpatient Progressive Health of America, including James Patton, NP and JoAnne Smith, NP for their dedicated care and support.

In lieu of floral remembrances, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the Texas A&M Foundation, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy, in honor of Harold’s memory.

Arrangements are under the compassionate care and expert direction of the staff of Holt & Holt Funeral Home of Boerne.