"I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourges the tormenter, never the tormented." Elie Wiesel
Mark Lloyd Ferguson
September 6, 1951 - November 1, 1984
My fathers name was Mark Lloyd Ferguson. He was born on September 6, 1951 and his murdered body was found buried in a shallow grave on November 1, 1984. He left behind a 2 year daughter, Emily. Me. Now 26 years later I am here to tell the story of his murder and the years of pain and struggles that my family and I have gone through and am still going through to this day.
I have no memories of my father, I never knew what his voice sounded like, what it felt to have him hold me in his arms. I only have pictures and stories that my family has told me about. The few things that I do have of his I treasure. I have a ring that I wear everyday that was given to be from my fathers brother for my 27th birthday. The ring my father wore everyday and was found on his body and was one of the only things apart from dental records that helped identify his decomposing body. Some may think that it is morbid that I wear his ring, but when I look at the ring, I see my father and the strength to keep fighting to keep his murder in prison for as long as humanly possible.
No one ever thinks that they are going to be a victim of violent crime. Most victims will refer to it as a club that no one wants to join, but you are forced to be a member for life. You have two choices when you are a victim, you can stand up and fight too keep your loved one's memory alive or you can let the pain and anger eat you alive and not understand why this happed to your loved one. I choose to fight, keep my fathers memory alive, by letting people know my fathers story and opening there eyes to the world of being a victim.
Here's a thought..... Have you ever stood next to someone in the grocery store and wondered if they were victims of a violent crime? Most victims look like you and me, but there is one difference, victims have one constant reminder, another human being took our loved one's life. In my fathers case Stanley Hunter was the man that took my fathers life, not on accident, this was cold blooded murder. Here’s our story...