Diane F. Ferguson

Diane Francesca (Tiedeman) Ferguson, a resident of Reeds Landing, Springfield, MA, passed away peacefully at age 87 on August 9, 2018  surrounded by her husband and children. She was born in Elizabeth, NJ, on April 3, 1931, the daughter of Charles Tiedeman and Evelyn (Schworbel) Tiedeman of Westfield, NJ. Her early education included schools in Johannesburg, South Africa, Sydney, Australia and Westfield, NJ.  She graduated in 1952 from the New Jersey College for Women at Rutgers University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and bacteriology.  While attending NJC, she met her husband of 65 years, Robert Ferguson, a graduate student in the School of Agriculture at the neighboring Rutgers University campus.  Upon graduation, she briefly worked for a pharmaceutical company before marrying in Westfield, NJ, in 1953.  She and her husband raised three children, Mark, Linda and John. She was a devoted mother and wife. Diane applied her interest in science and her natural sense of order to creating a healthy and nurturing environment for her family.  Her modesty, patience, and goodwill toward others were a gift to all who knew her. When her children began lives of their own she volunteered for work at a local hospital and in the science classes of the Longmeadow public elementary schools. Furthering her interest in research, she found employment at Milton Bradley to test new games with children and with the US Census Bureau to collect data door to door. Diane was a member of the East Longmeadow United Methodist Church.  She held several leadership positions within the church and was instrumental in developing the Safe Sanctuary Program for children in the church nursery. In addition to her parents, Diane was pre-deceased by her son, John Ferguson in 2010. She is survived by her husband, Robert A. Ferguson, of Springfield; her children, Mark Ferguson of Brooklyn, NY, and Linda Larkin of Montclair, NJ; sisters, Janice Logg and Cassandra Carroll; four grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. A Memorial service will be held on Sunday, August 26th at 11:00am at the East Longmeadow United Methodist Church, 215 Somers Road, in East Longmeadow. A private burial was held in the Ferguson family lot of the Riverbank Cemetery in Stowe, Vermont. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Diane’s memory may be made to the Carrington Scholarship Fund at the East Longmeadow United Methodist Church. For more information, please visit us at www.byronkeenan.com