GOSHEN, Ind. — The new Fidler Pond Garden opened quietly this past spring along the water’s edge. Bright flashes of color rose from the ground. Soft petals flutter in the wind where grass once rested. Paths curve through flowers and sunlight. The space feels peaceful. It feels intentional. It feels loved.
The Fidler Pond Garden is the newest feature at Fidler Pond Park and now serves as a lasting tribute to Lois Fidler, whose vision, planning and personal investment made the project possible before her passing in August 2024. Built as both her gift to the community and a reflection of her love for natural beauty, the garden offers residents and visitors a peaceful place to walk, pause and connect with the landscape through the seasons.
The garden took shape over two years and stands as both a dream and a gift from the late Lois Fidler. She imagined a public space where visitors could slow down, reflect and feel connected to nature and one another.
“It was mom who took the initiative,” her daughter Karen LaCounte said. “She wanted this.”
Lois walked the park with Tanya Heyde, Goshen Parks and Recreation director, before any plans existed. They searched the grounds for the right place where sunlight reached the soil and where visitors already paused.
“I thought it was really nice that Lois got to choose the location,” Heyde said. “We circled the park and she picked where it would be.”
The garden sits beside the pond where trees frame the water and the sky mirrors the landscape. When winter arrives and leaves fall, the Fidler family’s former home on Oak Lane becomes visible from the path.
A Vision for the Fidler Pond Garden
Lois worked closely with designer Josh Welker of Stone Ridge Landscaping to select every plant. The result includes Hydrangea Annabelle, Baptisia Blueberry Sundae, Prairie Dropseed Grass, Purple Coneflower Magnus, Shasta daisies, Creeping Phlox Drummond’s Pink, Hibiscus Midnight Marvel and Butterfly Weed along with other native and seasonal plantings.
Some bloom early. Others bloom late. The garden shifts across the seasons.
“That was her directive,” her son Steve Fidler said with a quiet laugh. “She wanted color here from spring through fall and something in bloom all growing season long. Josh did a great job of making sure that happened.”
Lois received a cancer diagnosis in October 2023 after plans for the project were underway. She continued working with her family, park staff and Welker to finalize details until she passed on Aug. 22, 2024. She never saw the completed garden in person and only held the rendering. The plan remained. The garden would become part of Goshen.
“She never got to see it,” LaCounte said. “She only saw the rendering.”
The installation cost about $73,000. It builds on decades of quiet philanthropy from Lois and her husband John, who supported community programs, education and parks with consistency and care.
Mayor Gina Leichty said the garden reflects the values Lois lived.
“We are grateful to Lois and the entire Fidler family for their caring commitment to Goshen,” Leichty said. “This garden reflects their generosity, their belief in beauty and community and their desire to create something meaningful for residents for many years.”
(Photo: James Korn/Eyedart Creative Studio)
A Place to Pause, Remember and Grow
The family’s first walk through the completed space carried emotion.
“Tears,” John said.
As time passed, the garden continued to settle and grow.
“At first it was sparse,” Fidler said. “But each time I came out here there was always color and always something new.”
“Josh did an amazing job,” he added. “He wanted it to be exactly the way she imagined.”
Heyde said the garden has already become a destination.
“Every time I’m here, people are in the garden,” she said. “It draws visitors.”
For the family, the space feels both complete and still growing.
“This was just the first year,” her daughter Kelley Fidler said. “It’s going to be very pretty for a long time to come.”