Joan Elizabeth Frenier Ferguson

Mrs. Joan Elizabeth Frenier Ferguson, 75, long-time resident of Ocean Springs and Biloxi, died Saturday, August 8, 2008, in Biloxi, MS. Born July 18, 1934, in Northampton, MA, Mrs. Ferguson studied business at Mt. Holyoke College and then became a flight attendant with Eastern Airlines. It was during this time that she made the acquaintance of a gregarious young Air Force bomber pilot, Charles (Chuck) Ferguson with whom, at age 21, she eloped to Niagara Falls. Their marriage lasted 50 years until his passing in 2004. The two were still newlyweds when they moved to Ocean Springs where they made their home, following in the path of Mr. Ferguson’s brother Bob, also an Air Force pilot, who had been stationed at Keesler AFB. Mrs. Ferguson was one the first females to receive her private pilot’s license in Ocean Springs, was a member of the Gulf Hills Women’s Golf Association where she held several officer positions, including that of President, and was a sister in the PEO (Philanthropic Education Association), Chapter D. She was also a long-time avid bridge player with several clubs and made many dear friends while playing. The Fergusons raised a family of two daughters, and enjoyed many wonderful friends over the years, including as members of the Ocean Springs and later, Biloxi Yacht Clubs. Joan and her family were avid boaters, frequently taking the family to Horn Island, water skiing in the MS Sound and Back Bay, and also spending pleasant weeks on the water or in their condo in Destin, FL. The family also enjoyed spending summers in Sturgeon Bay, WI, birthplace of her husband, making many lifelong and cherished friends there, some of whom returned the visits north by becoming “snowbirds” in winter. In later life, Joan also became an avid “cruiser”; first with her husband and then with her daughter, Flinda, enjoying cruises to the Mediterranean, Alaska, the Panama Canal and the entire Caribbean. She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles Laird Ferguson, sister, June Hall, and Brother, William Frenier, Jr. She is survived by daughters Flinda Hill (Marcus) of Ocean Springs and Heather Sprague (Vance) of Pass Christian, grandsons Jonathon Lowrey Hill (Amanda) and Mark Hill of Ocean Springs, great-grandchildren Jasmine Rain Hill and Jonathon Lowrey Hill, Jr., both of Ocean Springs, Haley Hill of California, and Marcus Gregory of Tupelo, MS. The family would like to thank Joanne Schonewitz for her tender care of both Joan and Chuck over the years. She is a true friend. They would also like to express deepest gratitude to Hospice of Light. Services will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, August 15, 2009 at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Ocean Springs, where Mrs. Ferguson was a Communicant. The family will be available at the church at 9:00 am if anyone would like to visit beforehand Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home, Howard Avenue, in Biloxi is in charge of arrangements.