Cynthia Lynn Ferguson Ortego ( known by all as "Cindy") passed away peacefully on May 23, 2025, at the age of 75 at The Carpenter House (St. Joseph Hospice). She is survived by her husband Gerald Ward Ortego, her sons Louis Paul Ortego and David Patrick Ortego, and her brother Thomas Stanley Ferguson. Cindy is preceded in death by her father Thomas Stanley (known as "Stanley") Ferguson, her mother Evora Ruth Gaar Ferguson, and her uncles and aunts: Gordon Byrle Ferguson and wife Violet, Jack Carter Ferguson and wife Emily, and Brider ("Pete") Leroy Ferguson and wife Bobbye.
She graduated from Byrd High School in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1967, graduated from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana in 1971 with degrees in Interior Design and Painting, and graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana with a master's degree in Art History in 1974. She taught Art History at the University of Louisiana in Monroe, Louisiana from 1973-1974. She graduated from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana with a master's degree in Library Science in 1979. She was an Art Librarian at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1979-1980. She was hired as Head Reference Librarian at Shreve Memorial Library in 1980, and was promoted to Associate Director of Public Services and Caddo Parish Extension Librarian until her retirement in 2013.
Cindy was beloved by everyone who knew her. She had a kind and caring disposition and was always concerned about the needs of others, whether they were family, close friends, co-workers, or perfect strangers.
