Natalie's Corner makes a huge splash with kids and grownups alike

Davis Police Officer Natalie Corona was honored with a spectacular splashpad Saturday morning at Central Park

Lupe Corona, Natalie’s mom, addresses the large crowd along with Natalie”s dad, Merced Corona, and Natalie’s sisters Jackie, Kathy and Cindy (Photo By Jenny Tan, City of Davis)

Natalie Corona, who died in the line of duty on the evening of January 10, 2019, was honored on a beautiful Saturday morning with the dedication of Natalie's Corner at Central Park.

Natalie's parents, Merced and Lupe, both addressed a large and appreciative crowd, and Natalie's three sisters, Jackie, Kathy and Cindy, pushed the button to make the waters flow on the newly christened splashpad, surrounded by gardens and an expanded Rotary picnic area.

I had the honor of writing about Natalie in this space over the last couple of days, which prompted a kind reader named Andy Monheit to compose a stunningly beautiful poem that he posted in the "Comments" section here at The Wary One.

Put simply, it is one of the most moving pieces I have ever read.

Andy's words capture who Natalie was, what she meant to our town and how Natalie's Corner is such a fitting and life-giving tribute to her memory.

The Corner Where Courage Blooms
(for Officer Natalie Corona)
by Andy Monheit

Here, where the water leaps into light,
we remember a woman who leapt first—
into duty,
into service,
into a promise to keep us safe.
She was not born into power,
but into purpose.
From Arbuckle’s small streets
to Davis’s open doors,
she carried the kind of bravery
that wears no crown
yet stands taller than any throne.
She gave without asking—
coins for the cold,
hands for the hurting,
a shield for the strangers
who would one day call her their own.
The night that took her
could not take her light.
It is here now—
in the splash of water,
in the shade of trees,
in the laughter that rings free of fear.
Natalie’s Corner is not just a place—
it is a promise:
that service matters,
that kindness counts,
that courage can outlast grief.
Today, we gather not in silence,
but in gratitude,
not to close her watch,
but to keep it.
Because every child who plays here
runs in the freedom she protected.
And so her story is not ended—
it is written in the spray of this fountain,
the roots of these trees,
the heart of this city.
Natalie Corona -
your corner is the whole world you made better.

(Photos by Molly Dunning, Bob Dunning, Mike Trask)