David Ferguson

David Owen Ferguson unexpectedly passed away at home at the age of 57 on January 6, 2024 in Ann Arbor, MI. Born to Percy and Linda Ferguson on June 11, 1966, David grew up in Glens Falls, New York. He earned his B.S. degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Rochester, then went on to earn his M.D./Ph.D. from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. David met his wife, Dr. JoAnn Sekiguchi, at Cornell where they worked side by side as graduate students. Together, they moved to Boston, MA where David completed his Pathology residency at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital then joined JoAnn in the Alt lab at Harvard Medical School for his postdoctoral training. In 2003, David joined the faculty in the Pathology Department at the University of Michigan Medical School as an Assistant Professor where he successfully pursued his passions as a researcher, clinician, and educator for over 20 years.

David is nationally and internationally recognized for his research contributions to the field of genome instability. He was a University of Michigan Medical School Biological Sciences Scholar and received Scholar Awards from the Sidney Kimmel Foundation for Cancer Research and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. David was also inducted into the American Society for Clinical Investigation honor society.

David and JoAnn married in 1997, and they shared a life filled with love, laughter, and science. David was a devoted father to Brianna, who was the light of his life. They spent countless hours together building and launching model rockets, playing and watching sports, and discussing biology, physiology, and disease. David attended nearly every one of Brianna’s soccer games, where he loudly cheered her on from the sidelines. He could not have been more proud of his multi-talented daughter.

David comes from a musical family. His uncle was the famous Maynard Ferguson; his professional musician brother, Peter, toured with Maynard’s band; and his father, Percy, played saxophone with the Johnny Holmes Orchestra. David was a skilled hockey player. He was a member of the University of Rochester varsity hockey team and continued playing recreationally for many years. Having been influenced by his grandmother, Judith Bublick, who was a writer for “The Shadow” radio show, he was an avid fan of science fiction and was passionate about space exploration.

Predeceased by his parents, David's memory will be cherished and kept alive by his wife, JoAnn; daughter, Brianna; and brother, Peter. His sister-in-law, Diane Herak (Sekiguchi); brother-in-law, Alan; nieces, Kiana and Alexa; and wide circle of friends and colleagues will feel his absence.

A celebration of David’s life will be held on Saturday, February 3, 2024 at 1pm at the Nie Funeral Home, 3767 W. Liberty Rd. in Ann Arbor, MI 48103. In lieu of flowers, the family invites those who wish to honor David’s memory to donate to the University of Rochester College of Arts & Sciences or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

David O. Ferguson will be remembered as a loving husband, father, brother, friend and innovative thinker. His warmth, wisdom, unique humor, and passion for life will be deeply missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him.