Park bench to memorialize Snohomish man's life | HeraldNet.com ...

Published: Friday, October 12, 2012, 12:01 a.m.

MONROE -- A ceremony is planned at Lake Tye Park on Friday to remember a man who died here in November.

Brian Price Ferguson, 28, of Snohomish, took his own life at the park on Nov. 23, 2011.

At noon today, his family and friends plan to meet at the park to unveil a memorial bench and remember him and his life, said his mother, Pam Hardgrove, of Snohomish.

"It's basically so he won't be forgotten," she said. "He was so loved."

The family also plans to release 28 orange balloons, one for each year of his life. Orange was Ferguson's favorite color.

Ferguson grew up in Snohomish and attended Snohomish schools.

As a young man, he enjoyed skateboarding, writing poetry and playing drums in a band with his brothers, Jack Ferguson and Jeremy Hickman.

He loved to read and kept an extensive personal library, Hardgrove said.

Ferguson also had helped with efforts to raise money for skate parks at Lake Tye and in Snohomish, she said.

In recent years, he'd attended Everett Community College and dreamed of becoming a nurse. He also was working as a forklift operator.

He left behind a wife, Shoshi Ferguson.

Brian Ferguson had struggled with depression in the months leading up to his death, she said. Still, no one expected what would happen.

"He was so close to so many people that it just really shocked everybody," she said.

The memorial bench is made of steel and painted teal to match other benches at the park, said Mike Farrell, the city's parks and recreation director.

Monroe allows families to dedicate memorial benches if they pay for the bench and the installation, he said.

The new bench bears a memorial plaque: "Brian Price Ferguson left this Earth here on 23 November 2011."

Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.

Find help
If you or someone you know needs help, you can call the national suicide prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255. Volunteers of America Western Washington also offers 24-hour crisis intervention counseling at 425-258-4357.

Swedish/Edmonds Medical Center offers support groups for people who've lost someone to suicide. For information, call 425-640-4404.

In an emergency, call 911.

Source: http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20121012/NEWS01/710129912

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