Zuercher’s stained glass window brightens Iowa River Hospice chapel
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After many years as the plant manager at Cooper Manufacturing, Bill Zuercher of rural Marshalltown settled into the retirement routine and, like many men of his age, joined a local coffee group to keep up with his friends and solve at least some of the world's problems while he was at it.
A conversation during one of the sessions led to a tour of Iowa River Hospice, and he asked a staff member what the organization's wish list looked like. She named several items, and one was a stained glass window for the chapel area.
Luckily, Zuercher had taken a local course on staining and cutting glass years before, and it turned into something of a hobby for him. It didn't take long before IRH had exactly what its staff had requested: he spent about two months creating it over weekends and whenever he had free time.
"(People) really enjoy it, and we always tell them a little bit about your story," IRH Volunteer Coordinator and Community Liaison Pamela Wells said to Zuercher. "And it's beautiful, and you designed it yourself."
Zuercher said the water, the bridge over it and the doves all carried heavy symbolism as he was coming up with the concept, which he wanted to convey a message of health and peace while individuals prepare to leave their earthly lives.
"It's quite beautiful and calming. It fits here perfectly," Wells said.