Larry Ferguson

The world lost a beautiful smile and ray of sunshine, but Heaven has them now.  Larry Holt Ferguson, 75, of King, passed away on Monday, July 6, 2020.  He was born on November 20, 1944 in Winston-Salem, NC to Johnnie Holt Ferguson and Irene Stiller Ferguson.  He was a 1963 graduate of Northwest High School and attended North Carolina State University majoring in Civil Engineering.  Larry was a dreamer and a builder.  He spent his career in construction and was involved in building numerous projects around North Carolina.  One of his most memorable projects was the reconstruction of the Graylyn Estate after the fire in 1980.  As a member of the team, he supervised the rebuilding of the Manor House and helped usher the property into its current state.  Another special project was building Priddy Manor Assisted Living in King, where his parents were two of its first residents.

Larry loved family, friends, faith and football (and just about all sports).  He was deeply committed to his family and was a wonderful father to his two children, Scott and Theresa.  He was always there to talk through a problem and offer support.  He loved hanging out with family anywhere, any time – especially if food or grandbabies were involved!  Larry was a devoted friend to many and had friendships that spanned decades.  He loved spending time with his high school classmates and, as Student Council President, he was involved in their frequent reunions and gatherings.  Going out to eat or to an outdoor concert and even travelling with friends (New Mexico with Lonnie and Joanne!) were great pleasures.  Faith was very important to him growing up at Rural Hall Church of Christ.  He later moved his membership to Poplar Springs Church of Christ where he was a Sunday School teacher.  And how he loved football!  Nothing was better than to be able to spend an afternoon at a football game cheering on NC State or Wake Forest.  Larry always said that some of his best memories were of playing football in high school (Captain, Senior year) and of the team and coaches there.  He was a great conversationalist and loved to debate.  He would always try to persuade you to accept his point of view – always with charm and a smile.

In addition to his work in construction, Larry enjoyed his time at the family farm and worked to preserve the heritage of this North Carolina Century Farm.  He loved his tractor time and making hay.  Larry boasted that he had never missed getting up hay at the farm until recently.  The seeds for his love of community service were planted in Boy Scouts where he earned the honor of Eagle Scout.  He continued to grow with his work with Ruritan National, where he served in several leadership roles including Piedmont District Governor and Honorary Cabinet Member.  He served as a District Zone Governor until 2017 when he had to retire due to health concerns.  A favorite part of his Ruritan work was visits with the Special Needs students at West Stokes High School – especially at Christmas where he served as Santa Claus’ helper.

Larry was predeceased by his parents and his first wife, Diane Bremer Ferguson.  He is survived by his wife, Barbara, as well as two children and their spouses:  Scott Ferguson and his wife, Jill of Houston, Texas, and Theresa and her husband, Trent Gatewood of Advance; three step-children, Brian Pate, Ashley Lunsford (Ernie) and Kevin Pate; and his sister, Cheryl Ferguson (Ray Tuegel) of Capella.  He has 6 grandchildren (Sophia, Danielle, Sydney, Ella, John and Timothy) whom he loved very much.

There will be a graveside service at Poplar Springs Church of Christ on Saturday, July 11 at 11:00 a.m.  A Celebration of Larry’s life will be held on his birthday, November 20, 2020 at a location to be announced later.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to The Parkinson’s Foundation, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, or a charity of your choice.

The family would like to express their gratitude to the Acute Palliative Care Unit at Forsyth Medical Center for their kind, supportive care.  We are also grateful to Drs. Scott Vogler and David Meyer along with all the other dedicated health care providers who helped Larry through his journey through Parkinson’s over the past 10 years.