A Bench at the Dog Park in Memory of Ellen Letta

The Central Dog Park of Morris County is the place that I had the pleasure and honor of meeting Ellen Spatola Letta. Our dogs picked each other as friends and so Ellen and I quickly followed suit. Meeting Ellen was like talking to someone I've known my whole life. She was just one of those people who was an absolute light. Within the first few days of getting to know Ellen it was clear how much she loved her family. Her husband Chris, her daughter Sofia and her son Benjamin (and of course her puppy child Puffin) were the center of her world and she beamed with pride as she told me all about them. I quickly learned that Ellen was a fierce advocate of those in her circle, and if you were in that circle, boy were you lucky.

It is with great sadness that we share that Ellen peacefully, albeit tragically and rather suddenly passed away on February 16th.

Ellen loved the dog park. Prior to Puffin, she took her dog Sparkles there when it first opened. She was there almost on a daily basis, partially out of necessity because if you know Puffin you know the dog has energy for days, But also because of the community that couldn't help but to gravitate toward her. There aren't many people that gain an army of friends from a dog park-- but then again there aren't many people like Ellen.

To honor her memory and to comfort her family we would like to memorialize her by donating a bench in her name at the Central Dog Park of Morris County- the place where we met, the place where she spent so much time with her beloved pups, the place that she loved. It will never be the same to go to the dog park, but with this bench we can at least have a reminder of the beautiful soul that was Ellen Letta.

Anything Exceeding our goal will go to a charity of the Letta family’s choice