Debra Ferguson and Owen Taylor

1953 - 2020

Debra Ferguson & Owen Taylor

On December 9th, 2020, Debra Ferguson and Owen Taylor were tragically killed in an automobile accident. The hole they left cannot be filled this side of heaven.

Debra Ferguson was born in Skene, Mississippi on May 28th, 1953 to Woodrow and Lois Ferguson. Her young life was marked by the deaths of her father and brother. Her mother would later remarry Milton Griffith, and they would have Debra's half brother, Bill Griffith. She spent her childhood on the farm with all of its beauty and struggle. She would spend the rest of her life interpreting it as a photographer.

She once remarked of herself, "People died early in my life, and photos became very important to document the moment."

Her photography was its own language, with just enough beauty to draw you in and just enough rawness to say something real. She was passionate about documenting what she feared would be lost in the rural South. She captured images of the mosaic tile entry ways of Jewish department store fronts in the Mississippi Delta. Recently, she had longed to start a series documenting African American cowboys.

Debra was the creator of Southern Images and the Vanishing Delta series. She also toured with her most recent collection This Delta. In 2007 she won the Mississippi Arts and Letters award for photographer of the year. Her photography was a fixture in the agricultural industry. From the walls of farmer's offices to magazines like Progressive Farmer, Successful Farming, and Rice Farming, she captured the images that defined life in the rural farming south.

Owen Taylor was born in Rosedale, Mississippi on July 7th, 1951 to Elizabeth and Herbert Taylor. Much of his childhood was spent helping his father, who worked as a crop dusting pilot. Like Debra, agriculture was a defining factor in Owen's life. He began writing in the industry as a young man, his publications appearing in such magazines as Soybean Digest and Bass.

But he is best known for the creation of AgFax. Conceived in the late 1980s, AgFax was originally a series of newsletters faxed directly to farmers and crop consultants in the fields intended to relay real time information about what was working on farms across the country. Over time, the communications kept up with technology, and AgFax became the gold standard in the industry. Owen prided himself on providing vital information without the influence of advertisers impacting content.

Debra and Owen fell in love creating together. They met in college when Debra was assigned to provide photography for a piece Owen was writing for The Miss Delta, the newspaper at their alma mater, Delta State University. They were married in 1974 and began a life of creativity and devotion to one another and their work. Debra was not only a gifted photographer but a managing editor for AgFax. They worked in lock step in the agricultural industry. Their proudest moments were when they could collaborate.

They loved traveling to the southwest, watching British television, and seeing their grandchildren. Owen was just beginning to really embrace grandfatherhood. He adored watching science fiction with his grandson on Zoom and making ice cream with his granddaughter this past summer. For Debra, grandchildren were the reverberations of her heart. They had just visited with their son and his fiancé in New Orleans and were looking forward to helping them make their house a home.

They were incredible parents, full of insight, encouragement, and humor. They both had hearts for the least, the last, the lost, and the lonely—even up until the last moments of their lives.

They are preceded in death by Lois Griffith and Woodrow Ferguson and their son Jimmy Ferguson and Elizabeth and Herbert Taylor.

They are survived by so many who love them. But namely their children, grandchildren, spouses, and siblings: Sarah, Josh, Annie, and Neil Condon, Aaron Taylor and Ashley Redd, Bill Griffith, Becky Lewis, Anna Caffey, and Phillip Taylor.

Their outdoor memorial service will be held on January 3rd, 2020 at 2pm at the home of Becky and Bill Lewis. If attending, please wear a mask.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to their beloved neighborhood: Millcreek Recreation Club, 106 Westlake Drive, Brandon, MS, 39047. Or to Debra's incredible yoga community: Tara Yoga PO Box 13825, Jackson, MS, 39236.