Frederick Noel Ferguson

Frederick Noel Ferguson was born the day after Christmas in 1921 to Frederick William and Hilda Maud Hastings Ferguson in Cleveland, Ohio. He entered into eternal rest on June 12, 2020.

Noel grew up in Flint and Detroit Michigan and attended Cranbrook School from the 10th through 12th grade. Noel was an excellent student with a remarkable memory. He received an academic scholarship to attend Yale and graduated with the class of 1943 with a degree in English. The class graduated early in the winter of 1943 so that they could join in the war effort. Noel was accepted to the Army Officer Candidate School and was assigned to the Corp of Engineers. He was sent to Europe in 1944 with the 1264th Engineer Combat Battalion as a Second Lieutenant. He landed in France several months after D-Day and supported the advance across Europe towards Germany. He was particularly proud of the role that his battalion played in the building of the Bailey bridge across the Rhine at Remagen in March 1945. After V-E day he was put in charge of the re-pavement of a section of the Autobahn. He spoke of how impressed he was by the German road network.

Noel was discharged as a First Lieutenant in 1946 and attended Harvard Law School on the GI Bill, graduating in 1949. He found work in Washington DC in the US Department of Agriculture but soon moved to the Department of the Interior where he worked for 30 years and 30 days, retiring as Deputy Solicitor in 1980. He was involved with the legislation for the first offshore oil wells and the Alaska pipeline. His pioneering work in creating the legal structure for oil companies later became the basis for the regulations that exist today. He was also responsible for developing the legal framework for mineral rights on Indian lands. He possessed a brilliant legal mind and was a great asset to the Department of Interior.

Noel met his wife Faith Flora Crawford (1926-2005) in Washington, DC at St. Thomas' Episcopal Church located near DuPont Circle. They were married in Saluda, NC in August of 1952. Thomas, their son, was born in 1954. They attended St. Thomas' church until 1970 when the church was destroyed by arson. They then attended St. Barnabas Church in Annandale, Virginia near their home. They continued at St. Barnabas until they moved to the Bishop Gadsden 1999. Noel was always deeply involved with the church as a vestryman, senior warden, a lay reader and chalice bearer. After moving to the Bishop Gadsden they attended St. James across the street and Noel continued active participation in the church as a vestryman and lay reader. Faith's ancestors occupy a significant portion of the cemetery and that is where Noel shall be buried with her.

Noel's passions included British and American history, letter writing, and bicycling. He was an avid reader and maintained a list of every book he had read since 1950, totaling close to 5000. He used that knowledge to bring an impressive historical perspective to his hosting duties of the Current Events meetings at Bishop Gadsden. He is remembered by many for his lively moderating at these meetings. He also exchanged several letters per week with Elizabeth, his sister, as well as with his mother for 60 years. These letters have been saved and serve as a detailed diary of Noel and his family. Bicycling was Noel's other passion and he rode 3000 documented miles per year from 1980 until 2012. He leaves us two bicycles which have about 50,000 miles each.

Noel and Faith are survived by their one son Thomas (1954 - ) his wife Abigail and twin grandsons, David and Ian (1987 - ) as well as their wives Grace and Sandra. Noel's endless knowledge, history tidbits and his cheery inquisitive personality will be missed by his family and everyone who knew him.

Arrangements by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc., Downtown Chapel