FERGUSON,
John
It is with sadness that we announce the passing of John
Robert Ferguson, devoted husband, beloved father, dear brother and
kind friend, on January 12, 2018, at the Cape Breton Regional
Hospital, Sydney, NS, in the presence of his loving
family.
John was born March 11, 1924, in Homeville, NS, to William
Allison Ferguson and Edith Hortense (Spencer) Ferguson.
He is survived by his dear wife of nearly 71 years, Mary
« Mae » Archine (Campbell) Ferguson; children, Norma (Bob)
Silverstein, Bob (Sheri) Ferguson, Margaret Ferguson and Glen (Beth)
Ferguson; brothers, Donald (Effie) and Spencer (Carol) Ferguson; 70
plus grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren,
of whom he was tremendously proud; and numerous nieces, nephews and
cousins.
He was predeceased by son, Al (Vicki) Ferguson, daughter,
Mary-lu (Jack) Nelson, grandson, Aaron David Silverstein, and sister,
Edie (Bill) Phillips.
John began his working life as a farmer, but soon explored
opportunities off the farm. These included a carpentry apprenticeship
and learning foundry work, a trade which eventually took the family to
Halifax. It was there that a friend became aware of John’s
exceptional persuasive talents and encouraged him to go into sales.
This is where he excelled and spent the rest of his professional life,
initially selling management consultant surveys with the George S. May
Company in Halifax, transferring to their Connecticut offices, and
eventually moving on to selling insurance with Great West Life
Assurance Company in Hartford. Management positions with Great West
Life took the family to Saint John, NB and Wilmette, IL. Another
career move to National Utility Service, took the family back to
Connecticut, where John worked until retiring in the mid 1980s. Even
in retirement, John continued to do what he loved best, interacting
with people, by running the key cutting department at a local Home
Depot.
John was a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints (Mormon), which he joined in 1951. Always a leader,
he was instrumental in the establishment and growth of LDS
congregations all over the Maritimes and New England. He not only
built up congregations, he also helped build their meetinghouses,
putting to use the foundry and carpentry skills learned in his early
years. In conjunction with his church work, John became very active in
the Boy Scouts of America and revelled in organizing camping trips and
pancake breakfasts for the scouts.
John often referred to himself as a jack of all trades and
master of none, but those who knew him marvelled at the extent of his
expertise in so many areas. He was a chef, baker, carpenter, paper
hanger, painter, plumber, mechanic, mason, roofer, gardener, arborist,
butcher, weaver and so much more. He enjoyed a good pun, loved
crossword puzzles, playing Scrabble and cribbage, horseshoes, berry
picking and clam digging. John had a thirst for knowledge and loved to
travel, making trips to Mexico, the Bahamas, Bermuda, South Africa,
Madeira and Scotland. He was an avid outdoorsman, a great walker and
could never resist petting any cat or dog that came his way. He will
be dearly missed by his extended family, along with his frequent
admonishment to « be good to
yourself ».
A special thanks to all the staff of the An Cala Palliative
Care Unit at CBRH for their tender and solicitous care of John and his
family during his final days.
There will be a viewing on Saturday, January 20th from 1:00
pm to 2:15 pm, followed by a funeral service at 2:30 pm at the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 230 Evergreen Drive, Sydney.
Interment will be at a later date at Black Brook Cemetery, Port
Morien.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the An Cala
Palliative Care Unit at CBRH or Christ Church Memorial Fund c/o Gail
Boutilier, 902-737-5483.
Words of comfort can be sent to the family at www.sydneymemorialchapel.ca or e-mail sydneymemorialchapel@ns.sympatico.ca
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de John Ferguson 19242018.source
Décès pour la Ville: Sydney, Province: Nova Scotia