{"id":844,"date":"2019-05-16T13:59:57","date_gmt":"2019-05-16T13:59:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/madd.org\/south-carolina\/?p=844"},"modified":"2022-05-27T11:53:49","modified_gmt":"2022-05-27T11:53:49","slug":"remembering-gordon-ward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madd.org\/south-carolina\/remembering-gordon-ward\/","title":{"rendered":"Remembering Gordon Ward"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\"\"Jessica Doreen Mendenhall\u2019s Victim Impact Statement that she read in court during the sentencing of the woman who killed her grandfather, Gordon Ward, in 2016.<\/p>\n\n

Beaufort, SC<\/p>\n\n

Your Honor,<\/p>\n\n

I am Jessica Doreen Mendenhall, proud granddaughter of Gordon McQuinn Ward Sr. Gordon wasn\u2019t your ordinary person. He was extraordinary because it didn\u2019t matter what was going on, he could bring a smile to anyone\u2019s face. He was taken from me too soon.<\/p>\n\n

As a little girl I never went over to his house much, but I remember as I grew up and got a little more freedom that I would sit outside his window and listen to him practice. He did not know I was there. There were times after school when we\u2019d have a conversation from an air conditioning unit. My favorite memory with him is when I first started band. I was so excited to learn \u201cMary Had A Little Lamb\u201d that I ran over to his house that evening and I played it for him. He was going to teach me to sing like he had with my older sister, Andrea Kay. He was going to help me with my flute by playing along with me on his keyboard. His keyboard played such beautiful music. It was a sound that no matter the song, no matter how many people you\u2019ve heard play it, he had this way. It was like his way of speaking. It was different and special, it spoke emotionally. It\u2019s a shame it won\u2019t be heard again because it really was special.\"\"<\/p>\n\n

I really didn\u2019t get the time I wanted with my grandfather. I wish I knew back when I was younger that nothing lasts forever. Everything has an end and sometimes it\u2019s closer than we want to believe it is. Without him here it\u2019s been a rough 3 years. My grades have slipped, which I know I can\u2019t blame all on this, but I do believe it has something to do with it. I\u2019m not the person I once was since losing him. I\u2019ve had to grow up for my mother, for my little sister, and for my grandmother. Losing him taught me to hide my sadness behind my music and to bottle up my feelings. I\u2019ve gotten pretty good at it, even hiding them from myself. That is probably the saddest part about this because half the time I\u2019m fooling myself to believe I\u2019m happy.<\/p>\n\n

Gordon was more than just a grandfather to me. He was my best friend. He was someone I always looked up to as a musician, he was a role model. The only words I can find to describe him is \u201cGod given gift\u201d. He would do my sister\u2019s hair and mine for performances. He\u2019d show up to every single one. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve performed but 3 times since his death. I know that I\u2019m still wounded and I\u2019m still hurt, but I\u2019m sure Gordon would quote the Bible and say something like, \u201cThou shall not hate\u201d. Telling me not to hate the young woman for what she\u2019s done. He\u2019d say that I don\u2019t have to love her, but I shouldn\u2019t hate her for we\u2019re all children of the Lord. Just because you stop hating someone doesn\u2019t mean that you have to forgive them though. She took away my grandfather and for that I\u2019ll never forgive her. However, I am done wasting my energy on hating her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Written by Emma Leigh Mendenhall about her grandfather, Gordon Ward. He was killed by a drunk driver, September 5th<\/span><\/sup><\/span>, 2016, in Beaufort County while on his way to work. <\/span><\/p>\n\n

You are my sun<\/p>\n\n

You are the one who guides me with your light\"\"<\/p>\n\n

You lead my way when I am lost<\/p>\n\n

I know you are watching over us right now, you always are<\/p>\n\n

For you are an angel<\/p>\n\n

A guardian angel<\/p>\n\n

My guardian angel<\/p>\n\n

All of our guardian angel<\/p>\n\n

Always protecting us<\/p>\n\n

Protecting us from danger<\/p>\n\n

Though we cannot see you<\/p>\n\n

We know you can see us<\/p>\n\n

We only wish we could see you in our dreams<\/p>\n\n

From night till day<\/p>\n\n

To see you once again<\/p>\n\n

To have your sweet melodies<\/p>\n\n

Melodies ringing in our ears<\/p>\n\n

Your voice<\/p>\n\n

Your keyboard<\/p>\n\n

Your music running through us making us happy to know you are there standing side by side, hand in hand with us<\/p>\n\n

Gordon McQuinn Ward<\/p>\n\n

You were a peacemaker<\/p>\n\n

Sent from Heaven by God to make sure your family is safe<\/p>\n\n

To bring happiness to all the people you meet<\/p>\n\n

Now you have joined our father in the sky once again<\/p>\n\n

To be an angel<\/p>\n\n

To be THE angel<\/p>\n\n

To be<\/p>\n\n

The Guardian Angel<\/p>\n\n\"\"\n\n

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Jessica Doreen Mendenhall\u2019s Victim Impact Statement that she read in court during the sentencing of the woman who killed her grandfather, Gordon Ward, in 2016. 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