January 4th, 2023

The Kroka community was deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Laura Fitch, who has touched this community for many years. Laura’s two sons, Eliot and Tommy Witten, attended summer programs from a young age and went on to attend the Winter Semester and Ecuador Semester respectively. Both later joined the summer staff community.

As a parent during the early days of Kroka’s move to Marlow, Laura saw the possibility for campus development from her unique perspective as an architect of co-housing communities. Laura went on to design the most prominent buildings on our campus: the Boathouse in 2009, the Director’s House in 2011 and the Farm Barn in 2015. Most recently Laura drew the plans for the 2019 renovation of Kroka’s historic Farmhouse into a sustainability education center for the next 200 years.

Laura’s passion for functional community design and green building, combined with a lifelong love of the outdoors, has helped the Kroka campus and community grow and thrive. She will be dearly missed.

Those wishing to make a donation to Kroka in Laura’s name may do so here. Your gift is a contribution toward Laura’s enduring legacy on our campus and community, and will help ensure that Kroka continues to make a lasting impact on young people and families. 

Boathouse, 2010

Director’s House, 2011

Farm Barn, 2015

Farmhouse, 2019

Drawing of the Kroka campus by Laura Fitch