TUCSON, AZ (June 29, 2026) -- Every morning, Jon Fenton takes his dog for a walk at the park that bears his daughter’s name. “I think I’ve missed a handful of days in 20 years,” he said.
He knows Brandi Fenton Memorial Park like the back of his hand. Mention any section of the park, from the three dog parks on the east side to the dusty equestrian arenas on the west end, and he brightens immediately as he remembers the story behind each of them. An equestrian arena is one of many family-friendly amenities at Brandi Fenton Memorial Park, which marks its 20th anniversary in 2026.
“We had the first splash pad in Pima County,” he said. “It was free, so kids would come from all over the County to go there in the summer to take advantage of the splash pad.”
Like many of the park’s features, the splash pad features a shaded structure – an innovation that has come to look all the more far-sighted as the summers have gotten ever warmer.
Fenton, a local home builder and president of A. F. Sterling Homes, was the driving force behind the creation of the 63-acre park, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.
The park is a lasting tribute to his daughter Brandi, who was killed in an auto accident in March 2003, just before her 14th birthday.
Earlier this year, Fenton glanced at the dedication plaque at the park’s memorial garden and realized it had already been two decades since the park opened to the public. That prompted plans for a community celebration, which attracted hundreds of people to the park April 26.
At its April 21 meeting, the Pima County Board of Supervisors presented a proclamation to Fenton celebrating the anniversary of the park.
“The 20th anniversary of Brandi Fenton Memorial Park is a meaningful moment for our community to come together and reflect on the legacy behind this space,” said Pima County Parks & Recreation Director Victor Pereira.
“I’m truly grateful for the Fenton family and their partnership, collaboration and generosity over the last 20 years. Collectively, we have turned an ordinary piece of land into an extraordinary urban park that will benefit Pima County for generations to come.”
Fenton still marvels at how quickly it all came together more than two decades ago, with the park going from concept to reality in barely three years.
He had started a foundation – the Brandi Michelle Fenton Foundation – with the thought of raising money toward a park in Brandi’s memory, and he approached the County to find out what properties were available.
A 63-acre plot of land on River Road, nestled at the southern end of the Catalina Foothills, seemed like the perfect choice.
“This one caught my eye because of the great location – and it’s not too far from where Brandi grew up and played,” he said.
The Foundation raised a significant amount of the money to build the park, with other funds coming from bond money and state grants.
“We met with the County and we told them what our vision was, and they liked it,” Fenton said. “We hired the architects, we hired the engineers, we had community meetings, and we tried to get input from all the neighbors about what they might want in the park.”
Jon Fenton, left, chats with visitors at an April 26 celebration of the 20th anniversary of Brandi Fenton Memorial Park.Valerie Samoy, a former aide for Pima County Supervisor Ann Day and a retired County employee, shakes her head in wonder when she remembers the unique spirit of those meetings.
“You felt like Brandi’s spirit was in that room,” Samoy said. “Out of this tragic experience came this beautiful, joyful gift to the community.”
The park opened to the public on Dec. 4, 2006, a day after a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by Day and County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry.
The park’s deft design, incorporating the historic buildings of the Binghampton Rural Historic District – the first Mormon farming community in the Tucson area – won several awards, including the 2006 Arizona Public Works Project of the Year and the 2008 Tucson-Pima County Historical Commission Award.
One of the park's most unique features is a commemorative memorial garden with handmade tile mosaics and a large metal sculpture of one of the butterflies Brandi loved. A sculpture of Gonzo, the Fenton family’s beloved dog, greets visitors to the garden.
“It was a beautiful collaboration,” said Gail T. Roberts, the local artist who designed the original tiles for the garden. “I knew how important it was to create this vision for Jon to honor his daughter.”
Brandi was an organ donor, and the garden includes a memorial for donors as well as a commemorative wall where individuals can purchase tiles to honor their loved ones who have passed on.
“We’re almost to the point where the original wall is full, so last year we built another wall to continue it on,” said Colleen Conlin, a local artist who has been creating memorial tiles for the garden since Roberts retired a few years ago.
Some of the tiles honor a person, while some honor a pet.
“I think it’s really lovely to go to the park and see people touching their tile and sitting and reflecting on it,” Conlin said. “For a lot of people, this park was a place they went with this special person.”
For Fenton, Brandi’s spirit can be felt every time he walks through the park.
“She had a ton of friends,” he said. “She had no enemies. She was unique.”