08/26/2026
Today we said goodbye to our good friend and fellow Rotarian, Cliff Koch, as he and his lovely wife, Heidi, head off on their next adventure!
They’re moving to Raleigh to be closer to their growing family, and while we’re excited for this next chapter in their lives, they will certainly be missed.
Cliff, thank you for everything you’ve done for our club and our community. We promise to carry on Rotary Runs the Beach and continue building on the incredible fundraiser you helped make it today! 🏃♂️🏖️
We wish you and Heidi nothing but happiness, family time, and great adventures ahead. Don’t be strangers, you’ll always be part of our Rotary family! ❤️
Cliff left us with this beautiful poem he wrote…
A New Phase Of Life
Several years ago, we moved to the west coast of Florida - very close to the beach,
A new home, a new start, nothing was out of reach.
The need to meet people and make new friends was important to me and my wife,
Starting new ways, a new beginning, a new phase of life!
It takes time to meet people, to make friends that you know and can trust,
You try here and there and sometimes… it’s simply just a bust!
Part of the search was to figure out how to give back,
But I needed to learn about the community, because I didn’t know jack!
I joined a fitness group that seemed pretty cool,
Running and biking and socializing gave me my activity fuel,
But something was missing, I had an emotional hole,
The need to give back was a passion, a need for my soul.
I saw a Rotary sign on my drive to the Gulf one day,
Rotary…I think I heard of them…the internet I did survey.
It sounded good, it felt right, appeared worthy - not at all silly,
So I asked around and a friend was a member, his name was Billy. 😊
I went to some meetings and an event or two,
And before too long I had a T-Shirt, colored Rotary blue.
Friendships began, with no judgement, nor strife
Creating new friends, giving back to the community, a new phase of life!
We want your thoughts, we want your time, they said ‘you should volunteer!,
You could do this, you could do that, and we always finish with some beer,
And before I knew it, I was on the Board and volunteered on various things that were fun!
Then we needed another fundraiser, and I said “how about a beach run…”
Soon enough a race was created, with trepidation by many,
Is this worth it?, We could lose money! It could cost us a pretty penny!
But a success it was!, due to our great club and precision sharp as a knife,
Rotary Runs The Beach, a brand-new project, a new phase of life!
Years have passed, and the Rotary IRB has always been fun and fantastic,
Many things have changed, members come and go, continuously elastic,
But the 4-way test (plus 1) stated each week always prevails,
Being truthful and fair, building goodwill and ensuring it’s beneficial – just never fails.
Children grow up, and have grandchildren, move away and we miss them oh so dearly,
The phone is great, video calls even better, but in person the best, clearly, clearly.
Life moves way too fast, gray hairs now the majority, so what do we do?
We visit often, take vacations, though to our heart we must be true.
After some discussion and thought, we decided the time is now,
What are we waiting for? - let’s be with our family, as much time as allowed,
Find a new home, sell our house, take a deep breath, here we go - no turning back,
Gather your stuff, buy some boxes, and pack, pack, pack, pack!
I will miss you all, our wonderful club, Heidi and I will miss everyone,
The meetings, the events, the socials, the giving, and of course the annual beach Run.
And so away we go to North Carolina, hand in hand, me and my wife,
A new beginning, yet another adventure, a new phase of life!
