Ela Deniz Friedman Aytes, 3 Our beloved Ela Deniz Friedman Aytes, whose smile ignited joy in others, departed our mortal sphere Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018. She turned 3 on Thanksgiving Day, a day she spent wrapped in the love and warmth of family at Fort DeSoto Park. She celebrated with cake and candles, sang the wisdom of Daniel Tiger, and summoned the imagination to pretend she was an ant building a home on the beach.

Ela was immensely curious about the world, observing it in great detail and describing it in words both precise and unexpected from a child her age. She delighted in learning and sharing her knowledge, riding on the back of her mother's bicycle and ringing the bell to alert everyone to their arrival, gardening with her family, and spotting school buses and fire trucks.

Ela was born on Nov. 22, 2015, in San Diego. She subsequently lived in Lakeland, Istanbul and Tampa. She is survived by a family who will carry her in their hearts for always: mother, Laurel Friedman of Tampa; grandparents, Sharon Hodges and Barry Friedman of Lakeland; great-grandmothers Sylvia Friedman of Atlanta and Judy Hodges of San Diego; and aunt and uncle, Amelia Hart and Ben Hart of Lakeland.