Teacher’s car found at
Stevens Pass

BY PAM STEVENS | EDITOR State transportation crews working on westbound Highway 2, found the car of North Lake Middle School Science teacher Connie Koch, 62, last Saturday afternoon.

Koch’s white 2005 Toyota Corolla was found 150 feet off an embankment at mile marker 62 near Stevens Pass. Crews pulled the car out late Saturday evening. There was a woman’s

body found inside the car, Lake Stevens Police Chief Randy Celori said.

Koch had been missing since March 26 when she left her home with no luggage or her medications. She had been suffering from extensive allergies and an extreme sensitivity to smells. Koch had been planning a trip to Texas where she was seeking medical treatment for her condition, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity; however, she disappeared the day before she was planning to leave.

Koch’s sister received a text message that same day that simply said, “Look at Stevens Pass.” That was the last that anyone had heard from her.

Friends and family members searched the area immediately following her disappearance.

Police had been tracking her cell phone and credit cards, Celori said. He also said that heavy snowfall on Stevens Pass was making it difficult to search for her car.

Koch had been teaching sixth grade Science and had been a teacher with the Lake Stevens School District since 1988. She had not been teaching since January due to health issues.

“Connie taught for Lake Stevens Schools for over 20 years and during that time taught at Hillcrest and Mt. Pilchuck Elementaries, Lake Stevens Middle School and North Lake Middle School – she had many friends throughout the district and touched the lives of hundreds of students and parents,” Arlene Hulten, Community Relations Director for the Lake Stevens School District said. “She had a great love and enthusiasm for teaching and particularly enjoyed teaching middle school aged students.  She loved watching her students learn and always wanted the best for every student.  She will truly be missed by our education community.”

She was a popular and well-liked teacher at North Lake.

“She was a really great teacher,” one of her students Tyler LePerle said. “She let us get the materials and do what we wanted to do with them.”
The district has counselors at the school ready to assist any student or teacher who may need help in dealing with this loss.

Information on her memorial can be found on the blog her family has set up for her at http:’’findconniekoch.blogspot.com.

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