Meri & George Passidakis, the parents of murdered 21-year-old Chico State student Athena Passidakis, say they're working with the City of Redding on upgrades to take place, and to create a memorial for their daughter, at Benton Dog Park.
REDDING, Calif. – The parents of the Chico State student who was killed by her ex-boyfriend earlier this month are planning a lasting memorial, and upgrading a Redding park, to honor their daughter, Athena Passidakis, who was just 21 years old at the time of her death.
Meri & George Passidakis told Action News Now on Tuesday that they want to add shaded areas, obstacle courses and picnic tables to the Benton Dog Park on Airpark Drive. “Dogs personalities are just like Athena's, they're very giving, very loving, they don't judge you” George said.
After Athena's untimely death on April 3rd, Meri and George Passidakis want to honor their daughter through helping out others.
But, in this case, it's not just people who would benefit.
Initially, the couple started a fundraiser to pay for their daughters funeral services and memorial. But now, they want to honor Athena's memory with upgrades to one of her favorite facilities.
Mom has a gathering space in mind, while dad wants a plaque with a picture of his daughter, along with her story. “We're a very active family and we would do a lot of camping and hiking and trips” George explained. “And Athena's preference was always ‘let's go to the dog park.”
Upgrades to the park wouldn't just be for the big dogs, but also for the small dog area as well. Her parents say Athena would bring dogs to Benton when she would pet sit at least once a month, along with the family's dogs.
Among the multiple family dogs she had growing up were favorites Decco, a black lab with gray patches and DJ, a Basenji terrier mix. “Every time I see a dog I just hear Athena's voice saying ‘Hi, can i pet your dog? Oh, come here baby, what's your name?” Meri said.
Even with discussions only recently beginning, Meri and George say the City of Redding is already planning for the upgrades. One of the parks' visitors told me they would welcome some of the changes.
“It's fantastic, and it's something that the community really should support because this is a good dog park” Tamara Kerr explained.
Right now, the family hopes to raise $40,000 for the upgrades by May 31st, already raising more than $16,000 so far. “I'd think the message she'd send to everybody is let's not be afraid to fail, let's just live” Meri said on Tuesday.
If you'd like to make a donation to upgrade the park in Athena's memory, click here.
