For most homebuyers, “empty walls” might spark dreams of paint colors or gallery art.
But for Linda Groskreutz, those blank spaces screamed one thing: puzzle potential. When she and her husband, Jeff, stumbled upon a sprawling ranch house in Madison Lake, Minn., it wasn’t the lake views that sealed the deal — it was the basement’s promise of becoming a jigsaw wonderland.
“It was perfect,” Linda said, recalling their first glimpse of the 4,600-square-foot home. The couple relocated last spring, trading their old town for lakeside living — and walls expansive enough to showcase Linda’s larger-than-life hobby. Today, their basement dazzles with framed puzzles of sailboats, elephants, tropical birds, and even a 40,320-piece Disney epic that stretches more than 22 feet.
Avid puzzler and puzzle collector Linda Groskreutz begins putting together a puzzle in her basement. Photo by Caroline Yang
Jeff, though not a puzzler himself, has become chief framer and hype man. Using handmade plywood frames, he’s hung roughly 115,000 puzzle pieces across eight colossal displays. “Linda is really good at what she does,” he said, grinning at the understatement. One puzzle snakes around two walls; another — nicknamed “The Granddaddy”—features 10 Disney films and took Linda 10 weeks to complete. But its journey didn’t end there.
“At the time, I didn’t have any wall space left, so it sat on cardboard in sections for several years,” Linda said. That changed when her Lutheran pastor called in 2021, planning a sermon series on “fitting together.” Could she loan a puzzle? “I thought it would be a treat to see my Disney puzzle all together,” she said. The couple trucked the 44-pound masterpiece to church, sprawling it across nine banquet tables for congregants to admire.
Linda Groskreutz’s largest accomplishment — a 40,320-piece beauty emblazoned with various Disney movie themes — weighing 44 pounds and measuring more than 22 feet long and 6½ feet tall. Photo by Caroline Yang
The puzzles have since found a permanent home — and a viral audience. Jeff’s YouTube tour of their “puzzle room” showcases Linda’s feats, like a 24,000-piece marvel wrapped around a corner. “We didn’t have enough wall space to put it all on one wall,” he said in the video, adding Linda was Minnesota’s first to finish it. Her reputation even landed her on a hall-of-fame site for giant puzzle enthusiasts.
I have no more walls large enough… so I would have to move.”
Linda’s obsession began at age 10, fueled by childhood Christmas puzzles and a German relative who kickstarted her mega-puzzle era with a 9,000-piece Tower of Babel gift. Now retired from accounting, she spends 20 hours weekly piecing together scenes, from New York’s twin towers (assembled post-9/11) to a spice shelf she finished mid-interview. “I’ve probably put together a couple thousand puzzles,” she said, though only the giants earn wall fame.
Her secret? Edges first, then color sorting. “I’ve always found doing puzzles relaxing, and I hope they help my brain,” she said. To share the joy, she launched a puzzle library in nearby Mankato, where 200 donated jigsaws — many hers — are loaned on an honor system. “If I didn’t donate a lot of my own puzzles, they’d quickly take over my house,” she laughed.
Two of the puzzles that are framed and on display at Linda Groskreutz’s home. Photo by Caroline Yang
As for sleep? “I don’t sleep well, so sometimes I’ll work [on a puzzle] until midnight, or I’ll occasionally get up at 2 or 3 and work on one,” she said. Jeff, ever the supporter, just keeps building frames. The Disney masterpiece now stretches gloriously across one wall, with two inches to spare. “Finally, I have room for it,” Linda said. “This is where it’s going to stay.”
