Cynthia Lee "Cindy" Goulder died peacefully in her home in Brooklyn Heights, New York, on Thursday, April 13, of brain cancer.
Cindy was born September 17, 1946, to Joan and George Goulder of Cleveland, Ohio. The eldest of six siblings, she graduated from Shaker Heights High School and went on to receive a B.A. from Manhattanville College, a Permaculture Design certificate from Whole Systems Design, and a Master of Biological Sciences/Ecology degree from Fordham University.
Cindy's love for the natural world led to a lifelong career as a landscape designer and ecologist. A passionate advocate for protecting natural spaces, Cindy supervised planting design and installation for NYC government agencies to reconstruct coastal wetlands, streambanks, woodlands, and grassland meadows. She designed and led stewardship planting projects for the NYC Parks Department and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy and coached urban homeowners on ecologically based gardening techniques. In conjunction with The Brooklyn Bridge Park Coalition, she authored The Cove Between The Bridges Field Guide, a highly acclaimed educational booklet about the Brooklyn Bridge shoreline. Cindy's efforts with city officials and agencies helped stop commercial development of the waterfront and effectively protected the natural resources.
In the early 1990s, Cindy spearheaded a community effort to turn a once-abandoned scrap of public land along the Brooklyn Queens Expressway into a beloved neighborhood garden. Under her leadership, what is now the Poplar Street Community Garden has become a thriving sanctuary for plants, flowers, birds, and butterflies and brings joy to gardeners and passersby alike.
In 2023, Cindy received the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from NYC Parks GreenThumb, the nation's largest urban gardening program, which sustains over 550 community gardens throughout New York City.
Cindy was highly creative and artistic. She studied Chinese watercolor painting, was an avid and accomplished nature photographer, loved classical and jazz music, and was an expressive writer. She was a loving sibling, aunt, and friend and will be deeply missed by family, friends, fellow gardeners, and colleagues.
Cindy is survived by her dear partner, Don Riepe, and her siblings, Susanna Goulder (David) Bradford (Sagamore Hills, OH), Diane (William Steiniger) Eaton (Atlanta, GA), Lisa (Peter Elman) Goulder (Oakland, CA), Lawrence (Martha Shirk) Goulder (Palo Alto, CA) and Pat Goulder (Paris, France).
A Celebration of Life is being scheduled for the fall of 2023 in Brooklyn. If you want to be informed about the date and location, email lgoulder864@gmail.com
A lovely obituary for Cindy is posted on www.legacy.com, along with pictures .
Jonathan Meyers
CINDY GOULDER OBITUARY
Cynthia Lee "Cindy" Goulder died peacefully in her home in Brooklyn Heights, New York, on Thursday, April 13, of brain cancer.
Cindy was born September 17, 1946, to Joan and George Goulder of Cleveland, Ohio. The eldest of six siblings, she graduated from Shaker Heights High School and went on to receive a B.A. from Manhattanville College, a Permaculture Design certificate from Whole Systems Design, and a Master of Biological Sciences/Ecology degree from Fordham University.
Cindy's love for the natural world led to a lifelong career as a landscape designer and ecologist. A passionate advocate for protecting natural spaces, Cindy supervised planting design and installation for NYC government agencies to reconstruct coastal wetlands, streambanks, woodlands, and grassland meadows. She designed and led stewardship planting projects for the NYC Parks Department and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy and coached urban homeowners on ecologically based gardening techniques. In conjunction with The Brooklyn Bridge Park Coalition, she authored The Cove Between The Bridges Field Guide, a highly acclaimed educational booklet about the Brooklyn Bridge shoreline. Cindy's efforts with city officials and agencies helped stop commercial development of the waterfront and effectively protected the natural resources.
In the early 1990s, Cindy spearheaded a community effort to turn a once-abandoned scrap of public land along the Brooklyn Queens Expressway into a beloved neighborhood garden. Under her leadership, what is now the Poplar Street Community Garden has become a thriving sanctuary for plants, flowers, birds, and butterflies and brings joy to gardeners and passersby alike.
In 2023, Cindy received the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from NYC Parks GreenThumb, the nation's largest urban gardening program, which sustains over 550 community gardens throughout New York City.
Cindy was highly creative and artistic. She studied Chinese watercolor painting, was an avid and accomplished nature photographer, loved classical and jazz music, and was an expressive writer. She was a loving sibling, aunt, and friend and will be deeply missed by family, friends, fellow gardeners, and colleagues.
Cindy is survived by her dear partner, Don Riepe, and her siblings, Susanna Goulder (David) Bradford (Sagamore Hills, OH), Diane (William Steiniger) Eaton (Atlanta, GA), Lisa (Peter Elman) Goulder (Oakland, CA), Lawrence (Martha Shirk) Goulder (Palo Alto, CA) and Pat Goulder (Paris, France).
A Celebration of Life is being scheduled for the fall of 2023 in Brooklyn. If you want to be informed about the date and location, email lgoulder864@gmail.com
A lovely obituary for Cindy is posted on www.legacy.com, along with pictures .
Patricia Ann Richards (Armstrong)
Very sad news. What a life! Such achievements...