Date of Birth: March 31, 1928
Date of Death: May 8, 2017
It is with profound sadness the family of Joan Ferguson announces her passing on Monday, May 8, 2017 at St. Peter’s Hospital, Melville.
Mom was born in Whitewood, Sask. on March 31, 1928 to Charlie and Stella Carter (nee McGuire). Mom greatly enjoyed her youth growing up in Whitewood. Together with her mother, father and sister, Pat, they spent many Sundays at Bird’s Point on Round Lake. She often spoke of the fun times she and her friends had in her teen years at the Saturday night dances at the lake.
She took her schooling in Whitewood with the exception of one year of high school in Melville, living with her aunts, Myrtle Wheeler and Jean McGuire while her mother spent several months receiving medical treatment and convalescing in California where her two brothers lived.
Following high school, Mom attended business school in Saskatoon and then worked at the Bank of Montreal in Melville. She stayed home as a mother and homemaker after she married until many years later, when she worked in a seasonal position at Parker,Quine & Co. during the hectic tax season.
While working at the Bank of Montreal, Mom met her husband, Doug, and they were married July 4, 1949. She was happy to stay at home and raise her four rambunctious boys.
She was a great cook and baking was a forte. She expanded her meal selection from the traditional English, which she was accustomed, to also include German, Italian and Ukrainian dishes. Meals were always followed by desserts ranging from fruits, pudding, baking or pastries. She was also a very good seamstress, sewing many of her dresses and outfits in earlier years. As grandchildren began to arrive, she added children’s clothing to her repertoire.
Mom was also the family chauffeur as dad did not obtain his driver’s licence until about the same time Dave had obtained his. Mostly, I think we recall packing up the car with mom and the four boys and driving to Bird’s Point for a couple weeks of summer vacation and great times for several years.
She also proved to be a very compassionate caregiver. Our grandmother’s health was failing with hardening of the arteries and later dementia. Mom and dad brought grandma to live with them for a couple of years until she had to be hospitalized. A little later, mom’s Aunt Jean McGuire’s health failed and mom dropped in on her daily to help her out until she later moved to the nursing home where mom continued her daily visits.
Mom had a variety of interests through which she met numerous people and made many good friends. She served her church most of her adult life as a Sunday School teacher for several years and a member of the UCW helping with teas, lunches, bake sales and other fundraising events. Outside of church, she served the community for a number of years with the Kinette Club, working on numerous community projects and serving on their executive.
Mom also had a great enthusiasm for her recreational interests. She curled and bowled in earlier years, but her most enjoyment was still to come. After the boys left home, dad taught her to play golf. She quickly developed a great passion for the game, and together they enjoyed many, many leisurely days playing together for years to come. As her ability and confidence grew, she began to play with other lady golfers as well and through this developed many new friendships.
It would be difficult to say with absolute certainty, but I think above all mom loved to play bridge. She played regularly in two clubs and substituted whenever she was called. It gave her an evening to dress up and enjoy the company of her lady friends. She continued to play in two clubs until about three years ago when her health simply wouldn’t allow her to play any longer.
She also looked forward to some quiet time reading a good novel and becoming fully engrossed in some exciting adventure, fantasy or simply a good story.
Over the last few days, many people have offered their condolences and have used words such as nice, fun, thoughtful, special, kind, fantastic lady, classy, pretty, wonderful and gracious to describe mom. She was all of that and much more.
Joan was predeceased by her husband of almost 62 years, Doug; her parents, Charlie and Stella Carter; and her sister, Pat Wood.
She will be deeply missed by her sons, Jim (Linda) of Melville, David (Lorraine) of Calgary, Alan (Eveline) of Calgary and Ron (Robbin) of Edmonton; grandchildren, Carla (Aaron), Mark, Brett (Mel), Tara (Matt), Chantelle (Les), Kurt (Ashton) and Jillian; and great-grandchildren, Jayden, Megan, Jenna, Gunner, Charlee, Aubrey, William, Emery, Caden and Blakely; brothers-in-law, George Wood and Tom Chippendale. She will also be missed by her nieces and nephew.
Thank you Dr. Eshawesh, nurses, aids, recreational and dining room staff of St. Paul Lutheran Home and St. Peter’s Hospital for the compassion and kindness given mom during her time in your care.
In lieu of flowers, donations in mom’s memory may be made to St. Paul Lutheran Home or a charity of your choice.
A memorial service was held at First United Church, Melville, Sask., on Friday, May 12, 2017. To leave a message of condolence for the family or to make a memorial donation, visit www.matthewsfuneralhome.ca.
Arrangements were entrusted to Matthews Funeral Home, Melville.
