They say no parent should ever have to bury their child. For Mark Heyer of Port St. John, the father of 32-year-old Heather Heyer, this is his reality.

“It doesn’t make a difference why it happened. My daughter was dead in the street… But she stood up for what she believed in,” he said.

Heather Heyer was killed over the weekend when a car rammed into a crowd of counterprotesters opposing a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville.

“I just forgive him,” he said of the suspect. “Because the fact is where is it going to put me if I don’t? Hate breeds hate, which breeds violence, which breeds harm.”

Heather worked as a paralegal at a law firm and lived with her toy Chihuahua. Mark said that while he didn’t always agree with his daughter, she was a strong woman who always stood up for what she believed in, and he’s proud of her for that.

“If it took somebody losing their life, whether it was my daughter or one of those 19 people that got hurt, it’s about realizing hate isn’t worth your energy,” Mark explained. “We all have so much more potential than to hate something or someone.”

Mark got ready Monday afternoon to drive off to Charlottesville to lay his daughter to rest. He said it’s his faith that keeps him going.

“It’s God’s grace that is keeping me from being balled up in a corner some place,” he added. “They took the life of my little girl. That little girl was my heart.”

Mark said he doesn’t want his daughter’s death to fall on deaf ears. He wants this tragedy to be a cry for justice and equality.


Mark Heyer keeps a picture of his daughter Heather in his wallet. (Stephanie Bechara, Staff)