Donald Stewart Ferguson P.Eng.

We are saddened to announce Don’s peaceful passing at 101 years of age on December 13, with his children Elizabeth (Scott), John (Jennifer), and Eric by his side. Don’s wife Margaret [Margie] of 49 years, the love of his life, predeceased Don in May 2000. Don was a caring grandfather to John, Becky, Geordie, Michael, Sarah, and Piper, and a caring great grandfather to Jacob, Grady, Rylie, and Archer.

Don was always proud of his Cape Breton roots and Scottish heritage – something that he has passed on to his family.

We offer a special thanks and our heartfelt appreciation to Drs. Rutherford and Stewart, Dr. Caines, and Dr. Nichols and the staff on the Geriatric and Rehabilitation unit at the Queensway Carleton Hospital, for their dedication and good counsel.

A Memorial Service and reception will be held in the Spring.

Dad was born in Glace Bay on Cape Breton Island on June 8, 1923. He grew up in Glace Bay and enjoyed a typical Maritime boyhood. After high school, Dad obtained a Bachelor of Science majoring in mathematics from Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, and a degree in Mining Engineering from the Technical University of Nova Scotia in Halifax. Dad served in the Army during World War II. He married our mother, Margie, in 1950 and began his engineering career working underground as a mining engineer in the collieries in Cape Breton.

Sons Eric and John were born in Glace Bay. The family then moved to North Bay in 1956 where Dad pursued a career with DuPont Canada Explosives. Elizabeth completed the family in 1960. The family moved to Ottawa in 1963, where Dad joined Canada Post, retiring in 1986 as the Director of Mechanical Engineering.

In retirement, Dad and Mom travelled to the UK on several occasions. Dad also found time to pursue his interest in writing, and wrote several books on his life and interests, including a journal about growing up in Glace Bay, a book on the art and science and the characters associated with coal mining, as well as a compendium of mahogany runabouts built by Myles Jeffrey in Athens Ontario.

Dad and Mom bought a cottage on Scott Island on the Rideau Waterway in 1981. Our family has enjoyed over 40 years of gathering there, just as our parents hoped would happen. Dad’s fingerprints are all over the cottage, with furnishings he crafted within the cottage, and various decks, a sleeping cabin and shed that he built outside the cottage.

After our mother passed in 2000, Dad was able to re-invent himself, learning to cook (to the point of exchanging muffin recipes to family members), live on his own very independently, and do some travelling. He also continued to pursue his passion for writing, and regularly sent off emails to family members regarding his life experiences, typically with an injection of his wry humour.

Dad was a resilient, independent man. He was also all about family. He learned how to make things work with whatever was at hand, something he learned growing up during The Depression, and working in the mines in Cape Breton. He used to say that if something broke underground, you simply used whatever was available to make the repair and keep the operations moving. You didn’t stop work, and you didn’t even think about heading to the surface in the middle of a shift.

We will all miss Dad a lot. But he taught us well, set a good example, and gave us many good memories to last the rest of our lives.

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face;

the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,

may God hold you in the palm of His hand.