Richard Hoch

Richard C. Hoch, 84, of Quakertown died Tuesday, February 2nd in St. Luke's Quakertown Hospital. He was the husband of the late Edith "Sue" (Stowell) Hoch. Mr. Hoch was born in Nazareth, Pa where he graduated from high school with honors and captained the 1942 football team. During World War II he enlisted in the Army Specialized Service Program (ASTP) and attended the Univ. of Florida. With the closure of this program he was assigned to the 87th Infantry Division (Golden Acorn) and as a sergeant in 1944 he served in France where he was awarded the Combat Infantry war badge and the Purple Heart for wounds received in action at the German border. Following his period in the Army, he graduated from Lehigh Univ. with a B.S. in Chemistry in 1950. Mr. Hoch worked for 38 years for Endura Corp. in Quakertown and for W.R. Grace who acquired Endura in 1960. For 18 years, he worked in several research manager positons in Quakertown and in Cambridge, Mass., headquarters for the division. For the last 20 years of his career he served as the general manager of the Quakertown operation and vice president of the division he started in 1988. Since retirement while health permitting, he and his wife, Sue divided their time between their Quakertown and Daytona Beach are residences. At various times, Mr. Hoch was a member of the Quakertown's first Planning Commission, the board of directors of the Quakertown Hospital, a trustee of the Upper Bucks YMCA, American Legion, Veteran of Foreign Wars, the Disabled American Veterans, the American Chemical Society, and the Technical Assoc. of the Pulp and Paper Industry. He was a member of the Quakertown United Methodist Church. He is listed in the Who's Who in the East and Who's Who in Finance and Industry. Surviving: son, Richard C. Jr. of Pennsburg; daughter, Pam Brown and husband Ken of Quakertown; grandchildren, Shawn and wife Kelli and Justin; great-grandchildren, Nathan and Shay; sister, Doris Starner of Nazareth. He was predeceased by brother, Charles and sister, Jean. Services will be held 11:00 am Mon, Feb. 8 at Quakertown United Methodist Church, 1875 Freier Rd., Quakertown. Call: 10:00-11:00 am Mon, Feb. 8 in the church. Jeffrey A. Naugle Funeral Home, 20 N. Ambler St., Quakertown is in charge of arrangements. www.janauglefcs.com Memorial contributions: Upper Bucks YMCA, 401 Fairview Avenue, Quakertown, PA 18951