A grandmother in her 70s yearns to connect with her grandchildren in the United States, 23 years after her son came to Liberia and died.
By: Emmanuel Wise Jipoh
Monrovia, Liberia, March 14, 2025—Commemoration of the annual Decoration Day (the Second Wednesday of March) brings touching stories of families fighting over graves or encountering difficulty identifying the graves of dead relatives, among many other unexpected ordeals that characterized the day.
But for Elizabeth Ferguson, believed to be in her 70s, her quest is to reconnect with her grandchildren, 23 years after the sudden death of her son Jamail Ferguson.
The late Ferguson reportedly died at ELWA Hospital in Paynesville in 2002, shortly after he returned from the United States of America to see his mother, Elizabeth Ferguson, and other siblings.
He reportedly travelled to the United States in the 90s as a teenager and returned home 30 years later to identify with his mother and other relatives when he met his sudden death.
“If I do not see my grandchildren, if I die, it will hurt me ooo. I want to see my grandchildren ooo, I want to see my children them; please help me find my grandchildren”, she wept.
Despite Ferguson’s demise some 20 years ago, his mother and siblings are trying to remain hopeful despite difficulties.
“It is safe since our brother came to visit and died; there is no way to connect with his family in America. We have tried and tried to trace his fiancee, but there is no way out,” a brother of the deceased laments.
Another relative, Amos, adds, “We feel devastated; I feel heartbroken because it has been years now.”
Speaking to The NEW DAWN at JCM Howard Cemetery in Paynesville on Decoration Day, Ma Elizabeth Ferguson was still reeling from the shock of losing her son, Jamail Ferguson.
“My son just came down to see me, and he said his head was hurting; the next day, they called me and said he was dead”, she explains in tears.
She is pleading with the Government of Liberia and philanthropists to help her reconnect with her late son’s wife and children in the U.S.
She recalls how her son told her that he had born three children, two boys and a girl, by a lady in Massachusetts, and that upon his return, he was going to bring them to Liberia.
“My son came, and he told me he born three children by one girl in America, and he was going to come back with them. The next day, he called me and said his head was hurting, and he died at ELWA Hospital”, she recalls.
Meanwhile, Decoration Day, observed as a public holiday, is also a stark reminder for families who lost loved ones. They gather on this day for sober reflection and to clean their graves. Editing by Jonathan Browne
