Seeing her community through stained glass
Coeur d’Alene resident Atsuko Kroetch plans to complete eight stained glass panels by the end of the year for Coeur d’Alene’s carousel windows. So far, Kroetch, 73, has completed one entire panel and has begun work on two others. “Making them is like a jigsaw puzzle,” said Kroetch. “It’s so much fun!” LOREN BENOIT/Press
Atsuko Kroetch first sketches the eight unique stain glass designs by hand, each one featuring a different colored carousel-style horse with flowers and other designs. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
By MATTHEW GWIN
Staff Writer
The Coeur d’Alene Carousel will soon be getting a facelift.
Each of the eight sides of the building’s cupola will feature a handmade stained glass window, thanks to Coeur d’Alene resident Atsuko Kroetch.
Kroetch is donating her time and talent to the project as a way to pay back the community for its kindness to her family when her late husband, Michael, was battling cancer during the 1990s.
“I’ve always wanted to find a way to reciprocate all the support that the community gave us,” Kroetch said.
She said she learned about the need to beautify the carousel last year from her friend Bud Ford.
Kroetch, 73, has made stained glass for many years, so she suggested she could make the windows for the carousel.
“For years I’ve thought, ‘I wish I could do something for the city,’” Kroetch said. “When I heard about the stained glass, I felt like, ‘Yes, I can do this.’”
According to Kroetch, Ford liked the idea so much that he offered to pay for all her materials, roughly $10,000. She estimated that each of the 33.5-by-55.5-inch panels costs $1,500.
However, the process of making a panel is far from cut-and-dried.
Kroetch first sketches the eight unique designs by hand, each one featuring a different colored carousel-style horse.
From there, she meticulously cuts and grinds the edges off each piece of glass to exact measurements so they fit together correctly.
Finally, Kroetch must surround each piece with copper foil, then solder and smooth the whole creation.
All in all, she said, one panel can take up to two months to complete — although she finished the first window in just one month.
“It’s like a jigsaw puzzle,” Kroetch said. “Sometimes I will keep working for six or eight hours a day, because I enjoy it. There’s a great sense of satisfaction seeing it all come together.”
So far, she has completed one entire panel and begun work on two others. She said she hopes to complete all eight by the end of the year.
Kroetch moved with her husband to Coeur d’Alene in 1991 from Orange County, in search of a place with a stronger sense of community.
“Sometimes in Orange County, you feel like a piece of sand on the beach,” Kroetch said. “Here, you can really feel the community.”
Two years later, Michael was diagnosed with cancer. After defeating the disease once, it resurfaced and he was unable to fend it off.
Kroetch said she still remembers how her friends treated her during such a difficult time.
“All our friends were so supportive,” she said. “One couple even bought us a Christmas tree and came over to decorate it for us.”
The generosity shown by the community persuaded her to stay in Coeur d’Alene rather than return to Southern California or her native Japan.
By doing so, Kroetch met her current husband, Keith, whom she married last August.
That generosity also drove her to return the favor to the community that supported her in a time of great sorrow.
“So often I felt like I should go back to Japan or Orange County,” Kroetch said. “But I’m so glad I stayed here.”