Category Archives: Mom

Lou’s Eulogy

Mom in Tofino

Lou’s Eulogy
By Kim Ferguson
July 5, 2014
Thank you everyone for gathering and joining with us to celebrate the life of Louise Ferguson. For those of you who may not know me, my name is Kim Ferguson; I am Scott’s wife; Louise’s favourite daughter-in-law, actually, in truth, ……her only daughter in law. I am going to take you back in time and share Louise’s history and life with you. Louise Axdal was born Jun 3, 1926, to an Icelandic family, in a little prairie town of Saskatchewan, named Wynyard. She was born the 3rd to last, in a family of 12 children. Unfortunately, she lost her father to pneumonia at an early age, and her mother never remarried. With a large family

in the depression, and the cold prairie life, hard work to survive was not unfamiliar to Lou. As the slideshows portray her early years, she was athletic, had a sense of humor, and was a skinny tomboy. After graduating stenography school with the highest marks in speed typing, she decided to move to Vancouver with her best friend, my mother, Doreen Robertson. The two young women quickly found employment, and soon after, at a skating rink, she met the love of her life: Jim Ferguson. In 1953, the couple was married and bought their first home in Vancouver on Butler Street. Their home was a center of activity for friends and family to gather where love and laughter would always be present. Lou was a good neighbour; she volunteered; she consistently donated blood. She was a stay at home mom; she was very tolerant, always positive and full of fun and adventure. She did not raise her children Scott and Jaye by the handbook of the day, but allowed them creativity and free-reign. One day at the age of about 5, she allowed Scott and his friend Howie to have hatchets and go play in the back woods. Oddly enough they survived and came home unscathed. In 1973, the family moved to Oyster River and built a home on 7 acres. Lou loved the outdoors, and together, Ferg and Lou were able to earn their living from their passion, by spacing and planting trees for Crown Forest and later with their Christmas tree farms. She also loved her life on the farm; it was a place where everyone was welcome. She started and organized the annual Polar Bear swim at Saratoga Beach. She was a caretaker; she loved to putter, she whistled, she loved happy hour. She cared for the underdog, and always gave people the benefit of the doubt. She was always present to support and love those around her.

Eventually, Lou became a grandma. She was always willing to help with the grandkids and, as I said previously, she was a creative and liberal caretaker, which resulted in a few “Adventures in Babysitting”. One day, she was watching our son, Jesse, when he was 3, and she lost him….in her house. She looked and called all over the house and eventually narrowed it down to the kitchen. She could hear him, but she couldn’t find him. After much searching, she finally found him cornered in the back of the lazy Susan, or the twirly bird, as she called it. Another time she was babysitting Hannah and Chris for Jaye. This time, she lost Chris. She began to search the trailer for him. She heard a thumping sound coming from the dryer. She opened the door and pulled Chris out….rubber boots and all. His eyes were as big as saucers. He said, “Bumma I go wound and wound”. The kids loved going to grandmas and often never wanted to come home for days on end. Reflecting back now on a few of these stories, I wonder if they didn’t come home because they didn’t want to, or because she was still trying to find them?

Well, Lou too had her own adventures. One night she was putting the dog out and walked straight into a post at the bottom of the stairs. The next morning she woke up with two great big black eyes. When little Chris saw her black eyes, he was terrified and said, “Bumma take it off, take it off”. He thought she was wearing a mask. After that, we dubbed her “Raccoon Gramma”. She also had an issue with falling asleep while driving. One hot summer day, driving back from town to the farm, there was road construction, so the trip took longer than usual. Ferg saw her arrive in another man’s car; he asked her what happened? She said,” I fell asleep, and woke up to see branches and leaves flying by me”. She had crossed the other side of the highway and cleared a 50’ swath through the woods. The Toyota was a mess, but she was okay. Hence, she got another new name: Mario, after the racecar driver.

In 2009, Lou and Ferg moved to Cumberland and lived next door to their daughter Jaye and family. Lou would regularly visit her last living sibling, Lenora, at the home in Cumberland. When Jaye went to share with Auntie Lennie the news that Lou had passed away, Auntie Lennie said, “She was the best of us”.

In closing, once contemplating her own life, Lou stated, “she knew why she was here: just to love….love, love, love”. Each of you has had a relationship with Lou, and has been touched by that love that emanated from her life. Myself, I was blessed and honoured to know Lou my whole life and to hold her dear as my mother-in-law. She was a mentor for me. She was funny, compassionate and would give the shirt off her back to anyone. As my family knows, I have always said that I want to live my life to the fullest, as my mother-in-law does and did. I always knew and never doubted, she loved me, no matter what, because that was what her whole life was about…..love. Although she could barely speak at the very end, her first and last words to me in the hospital were “love you”.

Gramma
by Jesse Ferguson

A few times in your life you meet iconic people. They have a long-lasting influential impact on your life..gramma and grandpa were those people for so many.
As a child growing up on Fergie’s farm I learned to chop wood..and yes gramma..the occasional finger..don’t worry mom and dad still don’t know..I never missed an opportunity to sleep over. She would get up and bring me endless bowls of oatmeal and pancakes As teenagers we still rarely missed a chance to go to the farm…why would we..where else could you swim all day and have lunch catered to you by the Axdal women..then head down to the river and drive the farm trucks.. As adults the chances became fewer to visit the farm, but we still did as often as we could, to show off our kids and spouses… It’s time let her go..but we’ll carry on without her..the world will be a little less bright without her for a time .but now it’s our turn to take over her roll for a time..and help everyone we meet..everyone we love..and bring a little bit of her brightness back to the world.