'Taken from us far too soon by femicide': Bench dedicated to Cheryl Sheldon, who died in alleged act of intimate partner violence

A London, Ont. woman allegedly killed by her boyfriend earlier this year has been memorialized with a park bench.

A ceremony was held outside Carling Heights Community Centre in London Wednesday to honour Cheryl Sheldon, who died after being a victim of what her supporters are calling an act of femicide.

“Any man standing here, I’m sure, if a woman approached him and said she needed help, would help. You don’t have to be violent, you don’t have to pick on you. You just stand between them and the victim until somebody else can take over,” said Cheryl’s brother Mark Sheldon, who traveled from Quebec to attend the event.

Cheryl Sheldon, 62, died in hospital after she was found in her Wharncliffe Road North apartment June 22. Her boyfriend, 44-year-old George Curtis, is charged with second degree murder.

Megan Walker, a long-time women’s advocate, helped organize the bench dedication.

“We can never replace dead women. They’re gone. And so, that is the message. We need everybody to come together every single day and stand up against male violence,” said Walker.

The inscription on the plaque installed in front of the bench reads:

In Loving Memory

OF MY SISTER

CHERYL SHELDON

Taken from us far too soon by femicide

There is a hole in my heart where you will dwell eternally

We love you sis, and you will never be forgotten

1962-2024

A bench was unveiled to honour femicide victim Cheryl Sheldon on Oct. 16, 2024. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)

The words were chosen to provoke thought and make people aware of femicide.

“So many times women are killed through femicide, and they become invisible,” explained Fabienne Haller, one of the event’s organizers and a long-time women’s advocate. “They become forgotten. Nobody remembers their name. It’s maybe in the news one day. Gone in a week. But these are very important people in our society.”

The ceremony was attended by city police, including Chief Thai Truong, along with some members of the London Police Services Board.

A number of federal and provincial politicians were on hand as well, along with members of city council.

Mayor Josh Morgan shared a personal anecdote of lessons he tries to pass on to his children.

“The personal actions that I try to do each and every day is to make sure that my sons understand how to treat women, that they do not make jokes about their sister, they do not even step down a pathway of dehumanizing a woman in any sort of way,” said Morgan.

Last year, the city of London declared intimate partner violence an epidemic.