Darwin Shane Koch

CARTERVILLE - Darwin (Shane) Koch, 55, of Carterville, Illinois, lost a courageous battle with cancer on May 14, 2021. He was born in Franklin, Pennsylvania, the son of Dienard (Bud) and Verna Koch of Herrin, Illinois.



He is survived by a sister Shannon Koch of Denton, Texas and three children Tabitha Elizabeth, Abigail Jordan Koch, and Darwin Michael Anthony Koch of Carterville. He is also survived by his partner and close confidant Amber Pond.



Shane enjoyed music throughout his entire life following the Grateful Dead and most recently playing locally with his band till the morning comes.



Dr. Koch graduated from Clarion University in Clarion, Pennsylvania. Dr. Koch is a graduate of the Rh.D program at the Rehabilitation Institute, Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois.



Dr. Koch was a Professor in the College of Education and Human Services. His professional background includes extensive work with consumers diagnosed with primary and coexisting alcohol and other drug abuse disabilities. Prior to becoming a rehabilitation educator, he served in various settings as a counselor, program evaluator, clinical director and program director.



He recently served as the Co-editor for the Rehabilitation Counselors' and Educators' Journal. Dr. Koch is the author of twenty-six professional publications, six book chapters and seventeen technical and research reports. He has made over eighty refereed presentations and fifty invited presentations at state, national and international professional conferences. Dr. Koch has served as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on fourteen funded research grants and four teaching grants. While on faculty at the University of North Texas Dr. Koch served as Coordinator of Rehabilitation Studies and Co-Director of the Institute for Studies in Addictions. He served as a past vice president and board member of the National Association on Alcohol, Drugs, and Disability (NAADD) and as a board member on both the Texas Certification Board of Addictions Professionals and the International Coalition of Addiction Science Educators. Dr. Koch served as the editor of the Journal of Teaching in the Addictions from 2005 through 2009.



Dr. Koch was the 1996 recipient of the Lorenz Baker Award. In 2004, the International Association of Addiction and Offender Counselors selected Dr. Koch as the Counselor Educator of the Year. In 2011, he received the College of Education and Human Services Outstanding Scholar Award. He is a certified rehabilitation counselor, certified supervisor for AODA counselors, and an internationally certified advanced alcohol and drug counselor.



Dr. Koch has been a faculty member at the Rehabilitation Institute since 2005.



There will be a Celebration of Life service on Saturday, July 17, 2021 from 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm at the Carbondale Civic Center. There will be another celebration of life service on a later date in Pennsylvania.



Meredith Funeral Home in Carbondale assisted the family with arrangements. To leave a memory or story of Dr. Koch visit www.meredithfh.com