Making a move
Christy first became interested in stained glass more than 20 years ago, while living in her hometown of Baton Rouge, La. She decided to take a stained glass course at Louisiana State Univer- sity with a few friends, and discovered it was a medium that combined every- thing she liked about art. She still displays a window-sized panel she made featuring pink dog- woods and blue and purple irises. Her teacher, Kristi Keller, bet her $10 she couldn’t make it in one month. Christy won the bet. She made stained glass pieces spo-
radically while her two children were growing up. She worked full time for the state of Louisiana and for a few years had part-time contract work making pic- ture pen- dant neck- laces.
In 2007, her husband,
Man, suffered a work-related spinal cord injury and doctors said he likely would not walk again. Christy was in the hospi- tal room along with her sister, Kevin, and her husband, Dave Powell, and her brother, Mike St. Romain, and his wife, Debra. They were talking about how life changes in an instant and how cool it would be if they could make the most of the time they had left by going on an ad- venture and moving to a new place to- gether.
The couples made a list of their ideal location — a place with four seasons and within a day’s drive of Baton Rouge, and nearby a body of water and a hospital. Man surprised doctors by continuing to progress in his recovery and was able to walk again. The following spring, Christy’s sister and her husband found about 40 acres for sale in Gamaliel. They bought the property, split it up, and Christy and Man built their home in 2010, dedicating an area for a stained glass studio. The property’s private drive is named “Wee- zie Loop” in honor of Christy’s mother, Eloise.
One of Marchand’s creations hangs in a bedroom at her home.
LIVING WELL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 13
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