Ashley P. Ferguson

Ashley Parsons Ferguson, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away on July 28, 2026 at the age of 60 after a courageous 36-month battle with Stage IV stomach cancer. She died peacefully surrounded by her family and now resides with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Ashley was born in 1965 in Birmingham, AL to the late Robert Ellis Parsons and the late Suzanne Dryer Parsons and is survived by her older brother, Robert Ellis Parsons Jr. She attended Crestline Elementary School and Mountain Brook Junior High. Her adventurous spirit led her to choose a boarding school for her high school education, and she graduated from The Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, Connecticut in 1983.

Ashley continued her studies at Vanderbilt University where she made many lifelong friends and graduated with a degree in Psychology in 1987. She then put on a backpack and set off to explore the world, traveling around Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. While working on a kibbutz in Israel, she met her future husband, Tod Ferguson. Ashley and Tod were married in June 1991 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Mountain Brook, AL, and shared 35 wonderful years of marriage full of love and laughter.

After marrying, Ashley earned her master’s degree in Counseling from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She dedicated her professional life to helping others, serving as a compassionate counselor for many years. Most recently, she practiced at Trinity Counseling, a Christian counseling group in Vestavia, AL, where she faithfully cared for individuals and families through life’s toughest challenges.

In addition to her husband, Ashley is survived by their three wonderful children, Jack (29), Emily (27), and Charlie (23). Each was such a delight to Ashley, and she lovingly referred to them as her “chicks,” always happiest when they were all back together in the nest. Ashley also cherished her oldest son’s wife, Danielle, and their two children, Amelia (2) and Henry (6 months). Ashley treasured her grandchildren and made time in her work schedule to visit them regularly. The visits became known as “Tuesdays with Amelia” and she seldom missed one, even as she underwent difficult cancer treatments.

Ashley was blessed with many wonderful friends and was deeply loved by all who knew her. She will be remembered for her steadfast faith, sense of humor, infectious optimism, caring nature, and bright, buoyant spirit. She had a remarkable gift for making others feel seen, heard, and loved, and her legacy will live on in the many lives she touched.

A public visitation and memorial service celebrating Ashley’s life will be held at the family church, St. Peter’s Anglican Church on Friday, September 4th. Visitation from 9:00am to 10:45am, followed by the memorial service at 11:00am.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center in honor of Ashley’s courageous fight and in support of continued cancer research and treatment.