Carol Louise Ferguson
Born April 21, 1929 in Sioux City, Iowa. Died peacefully at her home in Greenville, Texas on January 16, 2024. Daughter of Bert Olaf Anderson and Esther Caroline Anderson. Graduated from Central High School. Winner of the Clark Award (highest grade point average for all 12 years of public school education).
Attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois on a scholarship. Was a member of Delta Delta Delta Sorority and the co-chairman of Northwestern’s celebrated Waa-Mu Show. Graduated with a B.S. in journalism.
Employed as a copywriter for Montgomery Ward in Chicago and later worked as a go-for at Campbell-Mithun Advertising Agency in Minneapolis and Chicago.
Married John Clark Ferguson on August 9, 1952. Resident of Greenville since 1965.
Employed as a feature writer and columnist for the Herald Banner from 1972 until she retired in 2020. She won numerous writing awards from Press Women of Texas, National Federation of Press Women, the Associated Press, and Texas Press Association for her weekly column ”On Second Thought” as well as for her feature stories. She greatly enjoyed her work at the newspaper and felt that she had found a second family there.
Member of the Board of Directors for the Greenville Entertainment Series and the Dallas Symphony Greenville Series. Member of the board of the W. Walworth Harrison Public Library when the new facility was designed and built. Member Press Women of Texas and National Association of Press Women.
She was an avid reader her entire life. She and her late husband shared a particular interest in mystery novels, most notably the works of Tony Hillerman. She prided herself that all five of her children are also ”book worms.” Carol was a devoted Anglophile and member of the Winston Churchill Center. She could often be seen wearing sweatshirts with images of either Winston Churchill or her favorite author Charles Dickens. One of her greatest joys was taking afternoon tea in Charles Dickens’ study at Gad’s Hill during a trip to England with her daughter.
Survived by her children Kevin Ferguson of Garland, Brian Ferguson of Chicago, and Katherine Ferguson of Greenville, sister-in-law Shirley Anderson of Sioux City, Iowa, daughter-in-law Madge Ferguson of Blairsville, Georgia, numerous nieces and nephews, and her beloved pets Sadie the dog and Nicholas the cat. Preceded in death by her husband John Ferguson in 2010, her son Patrick Ferguson in 2013, her son Daniel Ferguson in 2020, her brother, the Rev. Theodore J. Anderson, and her parents.
She was a strong believer in the Abraham Lincoln quote: ”Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. William’s Catholic Church on Tuesday, January 23, 2024 at 10:00 a.m., with the Rev. Javier Diaz presiding. A private burial at Memoryland Cemetery will follow. There will be a Rosary at 9:30 a.m. until service time.
The family is grateful for all the care given to her by Howard Kweller, MD, Family First Home Health, One on One Personal Homecare Services, and Reecy Davis, III.
Memorials may be made to the Knights of Columbus No. 7483 Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 9198, Greenville, Texas 75404.
