At age 7, Alex Quanbeck was the exemplar of childhood innocence and curiosity, preferring imaginative nature play over jungle gyms, his parents said.
“He was the most curious, adventurous, bright light,” Dayna Quanbeck said.
“He lived a short life, but it was full of energy and love,” his father Eric Quanbeck said.
It’s that memory of Alex, who died on a school playground in San Rafael in 2019, that the Quanbecks hope to preserve.
The family is making a major donation to the city of Larkspur to replace the Niven Park play structure in Greenbrae with what’s called “Alex’s Discovery and Hummingbird Garden,” in honor of their son.
“It’s not just a play structure. It’s about discovery and nature play — all the things that Alex loves,” Dayna Quanbeck said.
“I hope it’s an inspirational place for families to candidly enjoy themselves in the moment, to celebrate the beauty and fortune to live in Marin, a smile on the playground or just the pure joy of a child,” Eric Quanbeck said.
The Quanbecks used to live near the park that is situated southeast of the Bon Air shopping center on Drake’s Landing against the Corte Madera Creek waterfront.
They have three other children: 12-year-old twin boys Elliot and Ethan and Abigail, who is 4. Eric Quanbeck is an investment banker, and Dayna Quanbeck is an executive at a sustainable shoe company. Following Alex’s death, they stayed at property they own in Oregon, until eventually moving to San Francisco.
Dayna Quanbeck said, “the move helped us heal.”
Niven Park was a special place for Alex and his siblings in their early childhood. It’s where Alex learned to ride a bike. It’s where he caught tadpoles to bring home. It’s where the family passed through while on bike rides to his favorite confectionaries, SusieCakes at the Bon Air Shopping Center or Johnny Doughnuts at Marin Country Mart.
“We spent a lot of time there, and Alex specifically loved it,” Eric Quanbeck said, noting that the motivation was always stopping for a sweet treat.
“It’s important for our memories of Alex,” Dayna Quanbeck said.
Alex was a first-grader at Mark Day School, a private K-8 school in San Rafael when he was playing ball with friends during recess on Dec. 19, 2019. He tried to close a metal rolling gate to keep the ball in the playground, and the gate fell on top of him.
The couple settled a wrongful death lawsuit with Mark Day School in June 2021, avoiding a trial. They declined to disclose the details.
While the family was in the depths of grief, Dayna Quanbeck said she began looking for ways to honor Alex. That’s when a neighbor put her in touch with Larkspur city staff.
Originally, the family thought of rehabilitating a bench along the lagoon in memory of Alex.
“And what started as a conversation about a bench turned into this amazing project,” Dayna Quanbeck said. “It’s also become a meaningful friendship,” she said of the relationships built with city staff, “and on our saddest days it has given us something to put our energy into.”
It was Rita Schoch, an administrative analyst with the city’s public works department, who shepherded the process.
Schoch said the park was due for a routine capital improvement. The existing 20-year-old play structure is at the center of 900-square-foot area of the park.
Together, Schoch and the family devised a plan for a new playground designed to be an exploratory park with natural features. The new play area will be 5,300 square feet, comprised of landscaping, paths, a family picnic area and a nature playground with stepping stumps, a log climb and slide, a story time circle and pebble harp.
The play area will be enclosed by a 3-foot fence. There will be decorative elements including 11 trees and an 8-foot-tall hummingbird sculpture made of Legos.
The landscaping will feature pollinator-friendly plants to attract hummingbirds. There will also be “insect hotels” in the garden along with interpretative signs.
By the waterfront, there will be a “reflection area” dedicated to the first responders who helped try to save Alex’s life. Dayna Quanbeck said they’ve kept in touch with them and are thankful for their support.
“As first responders, traumatic events like Alex’s passing, affect all of us in different ways,” San Rafael police Lt. Todd Berringer said. “To have a safe place like Niven Park to retreat to and reflect or find solace is an important part of our healing. We are grateful to the Quanbeck family for dedicating a space to find comfort to help cope with the emotional toll of being a first responder. Alex’s memory will live on in all of us.”
The Larkspur City Council approved the project during an emotional meeting on Nov. 2.
Councilmember Kevin Haroff, who lives in Greenbrae, recalled taking his daughter to Niven Park as a toddler. He said they enjoyed many fond memories there. “I’m just very proud to see this coming forward.”
Vice Mayor Gabe Paulson said, “what an inspiring way to move through all this and to give back to the community.”
The Quanbecks have agreed to pay for the construction of the new improvements, which is expected to cost $600,000 to $800,000. They have also established a fund for ongoing maintenance.
Schoch said staff hopes to have construction begin in April and a grand opening in late summer.
Separately, the Quanbecks launched a charitable organization called the Hummingbird Alliance to advocate for campus safety.
The Hummingbird Alliance name and attention to hummingbirds in the park project refers to an idea that Alex had after Dayna Quanbeck told her sons — several months before Alex’s death — that if anything ever happened to her, they could see a hummingbird and know that she would always be with them.
Alex told her he would be a baby hummingbird so that he could be with his mother always, if anything happened to him. The day after he died, there was a small hummingbird in their garden, Dayna Quanbeck said.
More information is at thehummingbirdalliance.com.
