Obituaries Surnames A-J Submitted by Smerek Group Researchers

neurosurgeon -- Luken said the care and attention he gave each patient was never short of
exceptional. "All his patients understood that their problems were the most important
things to him as he treated them and cared for them," Luken said. In 1993, Dr. Ferguson
was named by Chicago magazine as one of the top five neurosurgeons in the metropolitan
Chicago area. He was also published in the Journal of Neurosurgery for his innovative
"quiet hand technique," a method of manipulating surgical instruments with minimal
muscle movement to reduce the fatigue-induced hand tremors surgeons often experience.
As committed as he was to work, Dr. Ferguson had a great sense of fun, as well. "Larry
was a party waiting to happen" said Roberta Ferguson, who met her husband of eight
years when he came in to her Lincoln Square dance studio for lessons 10 years ago. "He
just brought the surgeon's lounge to life." Between procedures, for instance, it wasn't
unusual for Dr. Ferguson to show the female doctors the dance moves he'd learned from
his wife. He was particularly fond of rumba and Argentine tango, said Roberta Ferguson.
"He just loved to entertain people," she said. Another hobby of Dr. Ferguson's was
salmon fishing on Lake Michigan in his boat. "Captain Larry," as he liked to be called,
often spent hours out on the water after work, his wife said. Summers, meanwhile, were
reserved for his cabin along Lake Huron in Ontario. When Dr. Ferguson was diagnosed
with Lou Gehrig's disease three years ago, he handled his illness with such courage and
good humor that co-workers and loved ones rarely saw the moments of depression and
frustration he undoubtedly experienced, Roberta Ferguson said. "He used his positive
spirit to manage his disease as well as it could be managed," she said. Two years ago, the
surgical residents at Rush-Presbyterian renamed the microsurgery laboratory in Dr.
Ferguson's honor. Survivors in addition to his wife are Dr. Ferguson's daughters, Sarah
and Katherine Ferguson, and two stepchildren, Sacha and Bill Warholic. Services were
Saturday. (Chicago Sun Times, October 3, 2005)
FERKO - Evalyn (Hodownes)
FERKO - Evalyn, Central City, died June 15, 2006, at Windber Medical Center. Preceded
in death by parents, Charles and Kathryn (Holobinko) Hodownes; brothers, John Rubick
and Charles and Nick Hodownes; and sisters, Susan Kaniuk and Anne Mason. Survived
by husband, Andrew D.; son, Andrew D. Jr., married to the former Nancy Sandusky,
Central City; grandchildren, Andrew D. III, married to the former Charity Leipchack,
Central City, and Kelly, wife of Sean Raimo, Connecticut; and great-grandchildren,
Rebecca Raimo, Andrew D. IV and Shane Ferko. Sister of Mary Lasako, Florida, and
Steven, wife of Betty, New York. Friends will be received from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday at
Mulcahy Funeral Home, Central City, where service will be held at 8:30 a.m. Monday,
followed by Divine Liturgy at 9 a.m. at St. Mary's Russian Orthodox Church, the Very
Rev. John Govrusik. Committal, parish cemetery. Friends who wish may make
contributions to Regional Hospice at Windber, in Evalyn's memory. Parastas will be sung
at 5 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. (Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, PA, June 17, 2006)
FERRANCE - Julia D. (Drotar)
FERRANCE - Julia D., 86, of Greenwich Road, Northern Cambria, died June 17, 2004,
at Miners Medical Center, Hastings. Born Nov. 15, 1917, on Barnesboro R.D.2, daughter
of Andrew and Mary (Vesnovsky) Drotar. Preceded in death by parents; husband, Metro,
in 1978; daughter, Yvonne; brothers, Mike, John, Joseph and Steve; and sisters, Mary