Edward William Ferguson

Our Eddie left us recently, but before Dad passed we watched over him and as his son I thought upon the years as the “Suo Gan” played within his room. Dad’s youth was spent in Lethbridge where the Viaduct was his toy, and the cartoon strip “Terry and the Pirates” filled him with ideas of a much bigger world. Eddie knew what he wanted, a life beyond the foothills of Southern Alberta, beyond the toll of an Alberta dam project or at the face of a coal mine deep within the Crow’s Nest Pass. Most of all Dad imagined a very large world in which to travel. Volunteering to serve in Korea was the start of his grand adventure, later seeing the sites and cultures of Japan, Egypt, Lebanon, the Congo and Cyprus. These journeys he made alone except for the brethren of his fellow Canadian peacekeepers. As a family Dad and my mother Colleen lived in Germany in the mid-1950s and later, with junior, returned to Europe living in Germany and Sardinia in the early 1960; as well as many points across Canada.

Dad recognized the importance of this time together as the opportunity to instill in us that same bigger world – landscapes, streetscapes, waterways, art, architecture, music, language, nature and people. When he left the army Dad did not travel so much, but enjoyed puttering about in search of not so elusive salmon and more elusive bird watching. So now as I sit here wondering what memories will remain or be recalled in the future I thank him here and forever for making my world that much bigger; for believing in him when he said, “You can be anything you want to be, go wherever you want to go!” Dad you will always be beside me whether overseas or somewhere closer to home. Thank you too for all the stories, cartoons, your recent reminiscences of Kure, Japan and the fine chatter of “Yes them ‘r’ no rabbits.”

Ed Ferguson is survived by his son Paul, daughter-in-law Rosemary, sister Joyce and his great friend Marg. Dad was predeceased by my mother Colleen (June 25, 2016) and has now joined his mother Jane who at night sang to him, “The Big Rock Candy Mountain…I'm headed for a land that's far away”.

In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Pancreatic Cancer Canada Foundation or to a charity of your choice would be appreciated. Eddie’s ashes will, at a later date, be interred in Veterans’ Cemetery (Esquimalt), B.C. Please visit the production blog of the Pipes of War website for an earlier tribute to Dad entitled, "Our Eddie".

http://www.pipesofwar.com/