Jean M. Kroetsch

Jean Sander was born in the Black Rock Riverside section of Buffalo on April 5, 1927, when Calvin Coolidge was President and Al Smith was Governor of New York. She was raised in a loving family and was a proud graduate of Mount St. Joseph’s Academy in Buffalo, attending alumnae events until weeks before her passing. She was the bookkeeper in her family’s plumbing business while taking night classes at Canisius College. She was fond, fast and lifelong friends with the “gang” from the “old” neighborhood, as well as a founding member of “The Skippers” whose girlhood adventures were world renowned back in the day. Jean loved to ride horses, going to the stables early in the day to get the freshest & best in the barn. She met her future husband, Walter Kroetsch, when Walt retuned to the neighborhood after service in the US Army at Los Alamos, NM. He brought one Army horse with him and had had acquired another horse. He needed someone to ride the other horse and a neighbor pointed him to Jean. Thus began a long love affair with both Walt and horses. Jean & Walt were “hitched” in a Thanksgiving wedding ceremony in 1949 and soon thereafter established roots in North Tonawanda where they first built a barn for their horses and later constructed a house on Witmer Rd, raising six children-three girls and three boys there. It was a door to door petition drive to construct sidewalks on Witmer Rd for the safety of the children walking to school that launched Jean’s political career. With the support of Walt and good friends, John & Olga Holleran, Marie & Steve Nezezon, and Steffie & John Brzozowski, Jean’s campaign for North Tonawanda City Treasurer was successful in 1974. She was the first woman elected to that office and served with distinction in that post until 1983. Jean and Walt were faithful members of the North Tonawanda Democratic Committee. She had the privilege of meeting and greeting John F. Kennedy when he made a campaign stop in North Tonawanda in 1960, serving as a pledged delegate of Hubert Humphrey to the Democratic National Convention in 1968 and as a delegate to several NYS Democratic Conventions over the years. Jean was named Vice Chair Emeritus of the NT Democratic Committee and Democrat of the Year in 2017. Jean was an active participant in civic affairs. She was a committed member of the Zonta Club of the Tonawandas attending their international conventions for several years. She also served as campaign Chair of the United Way of the Tonawandas in 1977-78 and as President of the organization from 1979-81. In addition, Jean was instrumental in establishing and fundraising for the Niagara Hospice facility in Lockport, NY. Walt’s work at Bell Aircraft’s Wheatfield facility inspired their early & keen interest in the US Space Program as Bell developed the rocket belt, Mercury spacecraft control subsystems and the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle for NASA. Jean was privileged to see both the first and last space shuttle launches as well as many other rocket launches from the patio of her beloved condo in Titusville, FL, just across the river from the Kennedy Space Center. Jean also loved spending time at her family cottage “The Black Rock Club” in Turkey Point, Ontario, playing all kinds of card games, especially Texas Hold’em, and fishing with anyone who was willing to go to the latest perch hole. She was pleased to count as her “Canadian family” her many beloved friends and neighbors there. Jean continued her love affair with horses studying “Advanced Thoroughbred Training” and owning several horses at the Fort Erie racetrack. Jean was the eternal optimist. Even when skies were cloudy and grey, she’d say “There’s enough blue up there to make a Dutchman a pair of pants”. Rest In Peace, Jean. We look forward to joining you in the great beyond! Jean M. (Sander) Kroetsch, 95, of North Tonawanda, Sunday, January 1, 2023 at home, surrounded by family, under the care of Niagara Hospice. Born in Buffalo, New York on April 5, 1927 to George H. and Irene E. (née Pfalzer) Sander. Jean was a member of Our Lady Czestochowa Church. She was predeceased by her husband Walter R. Kroetsch. Mother of Christine M. Kroetsch (Jeremiah Hayes), Mary .L (Charles) Burngasser, Mark W. (Mary E.), Jeanette A. (Daniel) Woodward, John F. (Pam) and Paul J. (Michele) Kroetsch; s i s t e r in law of Marcy Acker (late James Sander), sister of Richard (Gale) Sander, and the late Donald (Carol) Sander, Robert (Carolyn) Sander, Ruth Sander Englert (Charles), Sr. Mary Elizabeth Sander, RSM, Joseph (Lois) Sander. Grandmother of 15, Great Grandmother of 16. Also surviving are many nieces and nephews. Friends may call Wednesday from 1:00 to 4:00 P.M. and 7:00 to 9:00 P.M. at the Wattengel Funeral Home, 533 Meadow Drive, North Tonawanda. Mass of Christian Burial wil be held Thursday at 9:30 A.M. from Our Lady Czestochowa Church, 64 Center Ave. North Tonawanda, NY 14120. Mass wil be live- streamed at OLC-NT.org. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Niagara Hospice.

Jean M. Kroetsch

April 5, 1927 - January 1, 2023