Obit: Ferguson, Bernard Rollin #3 (1917 - 1944)

Contact: Stan

Surnames: Ferguson, Neff, Beavin, Gee, Clark, Groves, King, Meacham, Huttom, Dessloch, Berry, Domer

----Sources: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) 07/27/1944

Ferguson, Bernard Rollin (23 Jan. 1917 - 25 July 1944)

Bernard Ferguson, son of Rev. and Mrs. M. B. Ferguson, died Monday morning at a Racine, Wis., hospital where he had a second operation for a bowel obstruction. Funeral services will be held Friday at Richland Center, the home of Mrs. Ferguson, at the Pratt Funeral Home at 1:30 P.M. and at the M. E. church at 2:00 P.M.

The deceased reached the age of 27 years, six months and one day. He entered the U.S. army on March 7th, 1941, and graduated as a second lieutenant on Sept. 19, 1942. He was discharged into the officer’s reserve on Oct. 31, 1943. He is a graduate of Barron, Wis., high school and the university at St. Paul.

Surviving are his parents and a sister, Mrs. Vera Neff of Sparta, Wis.

----Sources: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) 08/03/1944

Bernard Rollin Ferguson, the son of Rev. and Mrs. Mansel B. Ferguson, was born January 24th, 1917, in Marshall township, Richland county, Wis., and died at St. Luke’s hospital, Racine, Wis., on July 25th, 1944, at 6:40 A.M., after two weeks in the hospital, during which time he underwent two major operations.

Like Methodist preachers’ sons, he received his education in the cities where his father served. He graduated from the grade school in Virocqua, Wis., and completed his high school education at the Barron high school, Barron, Wis., where he graduated in 1934. He entered Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota, majoring in economics, and following his love of music he made music his minor, receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1939.

After graduating from the University, he accepted a position in the office of the Cosby-Wirth Manifold Company, Minneapolis, Minn., which position he held until he answered the call of his country and was inducted into the United States Army at Fort Snelling, Minnesota on Mar. 7, 1941. From here he was assigned to Fort Meade, South Dakota, where he served in the Quartermaster Corps. In January, 1942, he was assigned to the six weeks Quartermaster Course at Camp Lee, Viriginia, and then in June of ’42 he entered Officers Candidates School at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Ordnance Department on September 19, 1942. In October he was assigned to the Rossford Ordnance Depot, Toledo, Ohio, where he served in administrative and personnel. He received his promotion to first lieutenant on May 13, 1943. Preparatory to being sent to a port of embarkation pending overseas service, he was given a medical check-up and assigned to Percy Jones General Hospital at Battle Creek, Mich., for further examination of his eyes, which resulted in his being released from active duty and returned to inactive status, effective October 31, 1943, where he was retained in the Officers’ Reserve subject to re-call to active duty.

Since January 1944, he was employed by the E. C. Styberg Engineering Co., Racine, Wis., where he was engaged in essential war work until his death.

His love of God and nature took him to the great outdoors, to the forests and the streams for his hobbies. His hobby of learning to fly an airplane gave him the contacts with nature and God from the air. He leaves to mourn their loss, his parents, Rev. and Mrs. Mansel B. Ferguson, Colby, Wis., his sister, Mrs. Vera Neff, Sparta, Wis., seven aunts and six uncles and a host of friends.

The military funeral service was held at the Methodist church in Richland Center, Wisconsin, at 2:00 on Friday, July 28, 1944, and internment was at the Woodstock cemetery where the salute was given and taps were played by the military guard. Rev. T. Sidney Beavin, pastor of the Richland Center Methodist church, was in charge, and the Rev. R. Harold Gee, district superintendent of the Central District, LaCrosse, Wis., and the Rev. Ernest E. Clark of Sparta, Wis., participated in the service. The Groves Trio, friends from the Virocqua circuit, Mr. and Mrs. James Groves and Hubert Groves, brought the ministry of music. Miss Elizabeth King accompanied.

Friends who attended from Colby and Unity were Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Meacham, Mrs. Fred Huttom, Mrs. J. Dessloch, Mrs. Wm. Berry and Mrs. Theo. Domer.