John D. Ferguson

John David Ferguson, died April 14, 2020, at age 92.

Born in Philadelphia on February 23, 1928 to Jack and Adda Ferguson, John grew up in Springfield, PA., and lived for a time in Clearfield, PA during the Great Depression.

He attended the Central School of Springfield, H. C. Lea School, Shaw Junior High School and West Philadelphia High School. He briefly attended the Moore School of Electrical Engineering before choosing another path.

Following in the footsteps of his father, an avid hurdler, John competed as a miler in the Penn Relays in 1945. Later that year, John enlisted in the army and served with the occupying forces in Korea.  He was awarded the Purple Heart for injuries he sustained while saving the unit’s food supply from a massive fire.

When he returned from military service, John studied business at Temple University, from which he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1950.

In 1951 he married the love of his life, Jeanne Ferguson (nee Eugenia Battilana), and settled in Delaware, where he joined International Latex (Playtex).  In 1965, John accepted a position at DuPont, where he rose to the position of national sales leader.  Eventually landing at Sherwin Williams, John retired in 1994.

John nurtured a large and loving network of friends. Some of his friendships started in grade school and lasted over 85 years!  He was gregarious, personable and self-effacing, always keeping the mood light – mostly with bad puns.

Two of John’s favorite pastimes were gardening and golf. He believed it was remarkable that one could put a seed in the ground and grow food, which he did avidly each summer. When he wasn’t in the garden, he was at the DuPont Country Club playing golf and cards with his DuPont colleagues.

In his later years, John published a book, “The Tracks We Leave”, a unique family tree, treasured by his family, that chronicles his life and the migration of his family over generations using world historical events as the backdrop to family genealogy.

John’s wife of 45 years, Jeanne, predeceased John in 1995.  John is survived by his daughters Christina Wherley (Douglas) and Lisa Perry (William) grandchildren Julia Khamnei (Chris) and Melissa Wherley (David Novick) and great-grandchildren Henry and Abigail Khamnei. John is also survived by his wife of 22 years, Marie Berl Ferguson, his stepson Clay Ridings (Toby), stepdaughters Elizabeth Ridings and Barbara Exter, and grandchildren and great grandchildren.

The family would like to thank Dr. David Grubbs, Dr. Marc Grobman, Pharmacist Quyen Nguyen and the staff at Concord Pharmacy, the nurses from Compassionate Care and the entire staff at Sunrise Senior Living for the exceptional care and comfort they gave John.

The family recommends contributions to Faithful Friends Animal Society, 12 Germay Drive, Wilmington, DE 19804 or contributions made to a personal charity in John’s name are welcomed as well.