Grief support library in Coeur d'Alene honors beloved librarian

Outside Hospice of North Idaho’s administrative building in Coeur d’Alene, a small lending library now serves a purpose far beyond the books on its shelves. The Grief Support Loaning Library is both a tribute to Annette Eberlein and a practical resource for people who are mourning, with books that can be borrowed, returned and passed along when grief feels isolating.

The library was built around the experience of Eberlein’s husband, David Stephenson, who said the idea grew from his own reading about loss, grief and heartache after her death nearly four years ago. Stephenson, who has a woodworking background, took the lead on the project after he joined HONI’s spouse and partner loss support group, then worked with volunteers and staff to turn the tribute into something the community could actually use. A plaque dedicates the little free library in Eberlein’s name.

Eberlein’s life made the memorial feel especially fitting. She was a librarian who loved early childhood literacy, led hundreds of story times for children during her work with the Spokane County Library District and helped launch the Ready for Kindergarten program through United Way of North Idaho. That program is a free, nationally recognized school-readiness effort for North Idaho residents, focused on language and literacy, math and reasoning, and social-emotional skills. Her work stretched from the library to early learning and family support, and the tribute reflects that broad reach.

Hospice of North Idaho says it has provided hospice care, grief support and educational resources in the community for more than four decades, and the library fits squarely within that mission. HONI says its grief support services are available not only to hospice families but to the wider community, and bereaved people are encouraged to use the campus resources alongside grief support groups and the Telephone of the Wind. In a county where hospice care is often associated only with end-of-life treatment, the library shows another side of the work: steady support for the people left behind.

The memorial became official in August 2025, on the third anniversary of Eberlein’s death. Stephenson called it a working memorial, one he said she would have been proud to support. For families in Kootenai County who are looking for comfort, the little library is now part tribute and part lifeline, a quiet place where memory and practical help meet.