Celebration of life held for Kitchener-Waterloo Elvis

Nearly two weeks after the man known as Kitchener-Waterloo Elvis passed away, a celebration of life was held Thursday for Kitchener's King.

People gathered to honour the larger-than-life character at Henry Walser Funeral Home.

To most who passed by Ron Koch on the streets, he was K-W's Elvis, but to Natasha Pande, he was much more.

"I'm like his sister," said Pande, who is a family friend.

No matter the setting, or who he was with, she described Koch as unique and sometimes misunderstood.

"Someone who wasn't afraid to be himself," she said.

Whether it was singing with loved ones or strutting the streets in his famous jumpsuits, there was just something about Koch that the community couldn't help falling in love with.

"As we were passing by, he always had the biggest, warmest smile I've ever seen in my life. His eyes just literally twinkled like Christmas lights," said Brenda McHugh, who saw Koch often in the community.

She didn't know him personally – just as the unofficial Rock & Roll King of Kitchener. McHugh wanted to pay her respects amongst his most-prized possessions.

"My God, I can't believe he's gone. This city – we just lost a treasure," she said.

Social services organization K-W Habilitation helped Koch throughout his life, including during the 71-year-old's battle with cancer, which ultimately took his life earlier this month.

Direct support professional Matt Cleary, who is with the organization, built a relationship with the local star.

"I wasn't as big into Elvis before I met him. But you know, now I think I'm a fan these days," said Cleary.

He says Koch certainly knew what he wanted and how to get it, which is how he grew such an impressive collection of wigs and jumpsuits. That includes a special white one that was on display at the front of the funeral home's chapel.

It was ordered this summer, but its arrival kept getting delayed.

"This one here showed up just the week after he passed, but it really is a beautiful thing. He would have loved it," said Cleary.

Beyond the funeral home walls, there is a growing memorial along a Frederick Street fence, which is the same street where K-W’s Elvis lived.

The memorabilia may not be hung across the gates of Graceland, but it is Kitchener's way of saying thank you, thank you very much.

Beyond the funeral home walls, there is a growing memorial along a Frederick Street fence, which is the same street where KW Elvis lived. (CTV News/Spencer Turcotte)