Obituary of Anne Reighley Ferguson

Anne Reighley Ferguson passed away peacefully on the evening of Tuesday, January 29th surrounded by her loving family. The daughter of Lyster and Elizabeth Ford Reighley, she was born on April 27, 1927 in Montclair, NJ. Anne graduated from the Kimberly School in Montclair, NJ, then attended and graduated from Pine Manor Junior College in Wellsley, MA class of 1947. She worked briefly as a legal secretary before meeting her future husband, Eric N. Ferguson, in 1948. They were married in Montclair on May 11, 1951. After living briefly on Long Island and in New Jersey, Anne, her husband Eric, and two young children moved to Darien, CT in 1957. It was here that Anne began volunteer work for St. Luke's Episcopal Church, the Community Chest and other local charities. She was an avid bridge player and an eager tennis player at Wee Burn Country Club for over 50 years. The family summered on Nantucket, MA and partially wintered in Manalapan, FL where Anne was equally busy with her bridge and tennis at the Nantucket Yacht Club and the Everglades Club. In both Florida and Nantucket she was involved with fund raising for local charities including the hospitals, Hospice, Salvation Army, Nantucket Conservation and other organizations focused on the needs of children. In the last several years Anne has been very supportive of the nursing program at Norwalk Community College, a program at the Darien Library to supply books and other reading materials for the sight impaired and support for the new Darien YMCA. She has always been kind, thoughtful and sensitive to the needs of others. Family and friends will miss her for her friendly smile and her zest for life. Besides her husband, she is survived by her son, G. Neil Ferguson and his wife Bettina Ferguson and Bettina's daughter Siobhan Rae McIlhoney; two daughters, Elizabeth R. Ferguson and Barbara Ferguson St. John and her husband Brent St. John; and two grandchildren Ford Robert St. John and Tyler Eric St. John. She is also survived by a sister-in-law, Mrs. H. Ward Reighley. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 11:00 AM at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 1864 Post Road, Darien. Memorial donations may be made to the Darien Library, 1441 Post Road, Darien, CT 06820; YMCA, 2420 Post Road, Darien, CT 06820 or the Nantucket Conservation Foundation, P. O. Box 13, Nantucket, MA 02554. Funeral Home: Edward Lawrence Funeral Home 2119 Post Road Darien, CT USA 06820