5/29/2026 Update: Thank you to everyone who donated to help make improvements to the Benton Dog Park in honor of Athena! Our family is thankful for all the support and love from everyone. Your generosity has been amazing. We're closing down the donation process but will keep the page active. We'll post updates once we get going on the enhancements. It's been a rough year since Athena was taken from us and we just have not had the energy to begin the improvement process. We feel like that time is coming soon and we're looking forward to pouring some love and energy into it. Thanks' again - from the Passidakis Family.
4/28/2025 Update: Our family is overwhelmed and humbled with the love and support of family, friends and the community. We reached our initial goal with the help of over 300 donations. We're expanding the goal so we can now help pay for the labor required for installation as well as higher quality enhancements to the Benton Dog Park. This page will continue to accept donations and 100% of each donation will go directly to the enhancements to the dog park and the creation of a beautiful memorial to Athena.
Honoring Athena – A Legacy of Love for Dogs at Benton Dog Park
Our hearts are shattered as we share the devastating loss of our beautiful and beloved daughter, Athena Passidakis who was kidnapped and brutally murdered on April 3, 2025, at just 21 years old. There are no words to describe the depth of our grief. Athena was pure light—kind, funny, compassionate, and full of life. She had an endless love for animals—especially dogs, and every time we see one, we can still hear her sweet voice talking to them, smiling, laughing, and lighting up the world around her.
We’ve been searching for a way to honor Athena’s memory, and when the idea came to us to enhance the Benton Dog Park in Redding, California, we instantly knew: this was it. She would always take our dog here and those that she fostered, or pet sat. This is exactly what Athena would ❤️LOVE❤️—a joyful space filled with wagging tails, happy barks, and the love of our community.
We’re working with the City of Redding and envisioning meaningful improvements to the Benton Dog Park—things like shaded seating, water stations for pups, and agility features—but at the heart of it all, we hope to create a beautiful and lasting memorial space in Athena’s honor. It will be a place that reflects her spirit—joyful, compassionate, and deeply connected to animals. A peaceful spot where families can gather, dogs can play, and the community can feel the love and light that Athena brought into the world.
We are deeply grateful for your support as we begin this journey. Any contribution—big or small—brings us closer to creating something beautiful in Athena’s name.
With heartfelt thanks,
George, Meri, Angelique and Alex Passidakis
