On the corner of Third and I Street in Niles sits what may be Fremont’s smallest park, just 250 square feet of carefully tended ground beneath towering trees. Here, a white bench and picnic table rest behind a picket fence, wind chimes singing softly in the breeze.
Passersby stop to rest, meditate or share a meal. What they may not know at first is that this peaceful spot exists because of profound loss.
Gloria and George Gates created this memorial park to honor Gloria’s three children, all of whom died young: Steven, murdered at age 19; Scott, lost to cancer in 1999 at age 34; and Nikki, who died of cancer in 2013 at age 49.
The park’s origin was humble. When George moved into Gloria’s Niles home 15 years ago, he brought with him a white cat and a white bench. Looking at their spacious corner lot, he saw potential.
“I thought that white bench would be a perfect spot to make a memorial bench,” George recalls. At the time, Gloria’s two sons had already passed. The couple installed the bench and dedicated it with a plaque bearing Steven and Scott’s names. After Nikki’s death, they added the picnic table in her memory.
“It’s developed over the years,” George explains. “It’s been a labor of love.”
What started as a simple gesture has become a living space that serves both family and community. The couple added a picket fence, wind chimes and memorial plaques on nearby trees. All three of Gloria’s children graduated from Newark Memorial High School, rooted in this same community.
For Gloria, the park offers more than remembrance. “When the wind chimes are blown by the wind and I hear the beautiful sound, I may believe it’s my daughter talking to me,” she says. “It’s like a concrete connection, more of a spiritual connection.”
The memorial has drawn unexpected visitors over the years. A couple from San Jose whose daughter took her own life returns annually to sit on what local children dubbed the “angel bench.” A young man once sat there strumming “Stairway to Heaven” on his guitar, unknowingly playing the same song from Steven’s funeral mass. Five seniors enjoyed a pre-Christmas lunch at the picnic table, later returning with a poinsettia and thank-you card.
Photos by Elizabeth Cerutti
Photos by Elizabeth Cerutti
“It’s really a nice spot,” George says. “It helps Gloria, especially when she sees people sitting there and enjoying the quietness.”
The park is accessible and open year-round. During Niles’ popular annual antique fair, the benches provide seating for tired feet. Neighbors rest there after walking their dogs. Families take photos. A local family with a severely disabled daughter comes for picnics, appreciating the easy van access.
Each November, the Gates decorate the space for Día de los Muertos, keeping Steven, Nikki and Scott’s memories alive.
The couple takes regular evening walks, always ending at their memorial park. They sit together under the trees, watching neighbors pass by, sometimes sharing stories about the children who made this peaceful corner necessary.
The park’s truest meaning lies in what Gloria herself expressed: “I think it might be a reminder for people to appreciate their own children a little bit more, to know that we’re all on the earth for just a limited amount of time.”
In a quiet corner of Niles, beneath rustling leaves and singing wind chimes, that reminder endures.
