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Fordham University Manhattanville College

Cindy Goulder Obituary

Published by Legacy Remembers from Apr. 22 to Apr. 23, 2023.

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 [email protected].

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Recent Activity

December 26, 2024

Vivien Abrams Collens posted to the memorial.

January 29, 2024

Aaron Smith posted to the memorial.

January 27, 2024

Linda G-M posted to the memorial.

20 Entries

Vivien Abrams Collens

December 26, 2024

Cindy had a beautiful voice, and loved to sing. Her voice had a wide range and a beautiful timbre. I remember she sang in some NYC nightspots!

Aaron Smith

January 29, 2024

Cindy taught me, as well as many other things, that knowing scientific names of plants is important. I was happy to learn from her and her passion for the natural world.

Linda G-M

January 27, 2024

I was very sorry to hear of Cindy's passing. We shared lunches and coffee out and just laughed and had soulful conversations. I remember her plant-filled apartment and the day she handed me an apricot, fresh off the tree. She truly was Mother Nature.

Caroline Chapin-Jones

December 22, 2023

Cindy and I were Suite-mates long ago at Manhattanvillle College and I am So Very Sad to hear of Her passing as Cindy was so Loving and Caring a Friend

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Cara Sadownick

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Cara Sadownick

September 11, 2023

I have know Cindy for many many years as we are long time neighbors who became infrequent but sweet friends.

I was so impressed with the work she did in Brooklyn Bridge Park!

I last spoke with her about a year before she passed about creating a new native plants garden. She had great ideas and was adamant about her specific way of doing it.
I appreciated her steadfast commitment to all of natures creatures and beings.

I am very sad to hear now (in Sept) of her passing. It is fitting that she died in the Spring when all starts to bloom! What a treasure of knowledge and Spirit Cindy was. She is missed.

Alice DiMarzio

June 23, 2023

Miss Cindy was my first roommate out of Manhattanville. I remember music, soufflé a la Cindy, Kitty cats, a warm Victorian style apartment, boxes of stuff from Grandpa Goulder, and visits from her classy beautiful Mother. They put me into my first proper working girl Calvin Klein suit.
We were both young, I was eager and terrified. Cindy seemed ready for her career in television. Sending my belated love, hugs & kisses to you Cindy. You have accomplished wonderful things on this earth. Keep doing so in Heaven. Sincerest condolences to your nearest & dearest.
Your long lost friend,
Alice

Loren Busby

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Barbara Luntz Casey

April 30, 2023

In loving memory of a wonderful person. We will love you and miss you always.

Rob and Lucy Wood

April 29, 2023

Dear Dear Cindy. We called her "Cindygo". She was a good and faithful friend for over 25 years, ever since we met over lunch at the annual Millersville (PA) Native Plant Conference. We visited her regularly in Brooklyn and she would come and stay with us annually for the May Day Fairie Festival we started at our Southcentral PA farm in 1991. She photographed the festival and the farm (including a classic of a Baltimore Oriole on one of our silverbells, Halesia carolina). We visited her gardens and others together, most notably a trip to the great Chanticleer Garden in Wayne, PA almost 10 years ago where she was treated like royalty by the Director and professional gardeners. We´ll never forget that magical time together.
She was loving kin, often being mistaken for Lucy´s sister. We will miss her glowing green Spirit. Cindy, fare thee well thy soul...
Love Forever, Rob and Lucy Wood

amy wertheim

April 28, 2023

I remember Cindy very fondly from high school. I am so sorry to have lost touch with her. It was nice to see what a full life she led.

Vivien Abrams Colllens

April 26, 2023

So sad I didn´t get to see Cindy during her illness. We always enjoyed our visits, had planned to get together again in 2021. Cindy was a kind, supportive, and thoughtful friend who always had good ideas. She had a hearty laugh that matched her generous spirit. My deepest condolences to Don and her family .

Nancy Webster

April 26, 2023

Cindy was a visionary force in the revitalization of the Brooklyn waterfront. A passionate advocate for natural areas, her chapbook "The Cove Between the Bridges" was one of the earliest environmental education tracts about the area that was to become Brooklyn Bridge Park. Here's to you Cindy, from all of us at Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy.

Carol Specht

April 26, 2023

Sorry to hear of your sister´s passing. My condolences to you and your family. Carol Specht

Mary Leou

April 24, 2023

My deepest condolences to Don and Cindy's family. Cindy has left her mark in our open green spaces and they will continue to flourish with every passing season.
I have known Cindy for many years and more recently we enjoyed working with Cindy on our NYU "Bees Alive" project in Lentol Garden....where she helped design a native plant garden and an outdoor teaching garden. Thank you Cindy for teaching us so much. May your memory be eternal... RIP

Abby Scher

April 24, 2023

An inspiration to us all. I am full of gratitude for all she gave us and the earth.

Keishia

April 23, 2023

I'm missing you Cindy,
Thank you for your great memories .
Sleep in peace my love..

Maxine Friedman

April 23, 2023

I met Cindy over 15 years ago, while she was tending to (her) garden. In spite of the number of gardeners. Cindy nurtured and tended the garden as if it were a child. Knowing its needs, watering, mulching, pruning, dead heading, composting etc. For years she did the administrative work required to keep the garden going. She was a wealth of information and shared it willing. She was strong willed, a force to be reckoned with. I miss her already.

Emily Fano

April 22, 2023

I was very sad to hear of Cindy's passing and didn't know she was ill. She was such a lovely, kind person who loved nature so much. We knew each other through our mutual love of pollinators and I connected with her about a pollinator garden design project with schools several years ago. She will be missed and remembered fondly.

Don Riepe

April 22, 2023

Cindy and I were loving partners for many years. She was a beautiful person and companion. We traveled to many natural areas together. I will keep her in my heart forever...

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