Niklaus Peter Trachsel

Nick was born on Sept. 9, 1955 in Bern, Switzerland to parents Hanspeter and Elisabeth Trachsel. He graduated high school in 1974, then spent a year as an exchange student in Rochester, Michigan. Nick then came back to Switzerland to train as a goldsmith until 1978, and then emigrated to America in 1980. He worked as a goldsmith and jewelry designer in the Monterey area, designing and crafting fine jewelry for over 34 years. Nick created highly successful engagement ring designs called the Infinity and the Inspiration. The Infinity ring design was used in an Architectural Digest and Wall Street Journal ad. In our age of mass produced jewelry and 3-d computerized replications, Nick still remained a true craftsman. He did not succumb to the techniques of casting, but stayed true to his old world training of milling and crafting each jewelry piece by hand with care and precision. His signature stamp of NT in every ring was a stamp of excellence.

Coming from a family of teachers (Nick's parents taught history, his sister Barbara is an English teacher, and his brother Lorenz teaches dance) Nick could not escape his calling for teaching. He taught jewelry making classes at various elementary schools in the area, as well as private classes to adults. Nick married June Aoki in 1995 (also a teacher, who currently teaches math at the York School) and raised one beautiful daughter, Corinne Trachsel (you guessed it, who also wants to become a teacher.) Nick also volunteered countless hours to the International School of Monterey library program, organizing the library helpers and working with the cataloging system.

Nick was an artist and avid traveler. He enjoyed strolling through museums, finding and framing beautiful prints, and reveling in the beauty of nature. Additionally, Nick drew and created masterpieces for the Monterey Dharma School Hanamatsuri programs, such as the six part elephant and Rev. Shinseki's famous red car. Whenever Nick traveled to his home country of Switzerland, he always tacked on a visit to some other exciting city, such as Venice, Rome, Florence, Tuscany, Paris, Barcelona, or Istanbul. He traveled to countless other countries, including Japan. Even so, Nick always believed in quality over quantity, and would insist on staying at least 3-4 weeks whenever traveling overseas to become fully immersed in the culture.

Even toward the end, when it became difficult to walk and concentrate, Nick powered through his obstacles to become a U.S. citizen. He had to study 100 civic questions, where any 10 could be asked at random for his oral test. Nick passed with flying colors, and although confined to a wheelchair, insisted on standing to take his oath for U.S. citizenship. U.S. citizenship is something most of us take for granted, but Nick saw it as a precious gift. Nick's dedication, artistic vision, and worldly views will be sorely missed.

Arrangements under the direction of Bayside Community Mortuary, Seaside, CA.