Joan M. Ferguson

Joan was the ultimate connector. To her, nobody could be a stranger for more than a minute. Whether you hailed from Chandigarh or Kalamazoo, she could instantly fuse six degrees of separation. As she wrote in her short story, Speak for Yourself, Stan:

Love is magic. It doesn’t get used up like cookies…Love grows and grows; the more you give away, the more you’ve got.

Joan was adventurous. With her intrepid husband, Henry, she herded four children and fourteen pieces of luggage three times around the world. En route, she amassed enduring friendships, deep understanding of Indian culture, and a traveling exhibit of Indian classical musical instruments (including one poorly secured drum that bounced up an airplane aisle). She as readily picked up Irish fiddle in her 60s in Albany as she did the Indian sarod her 30s in New Delhi studying with Ustad Amjad Ali Khan.

Joan was charmed by life. She delighted in the “glorious”: The feel of a boat under sail; the soft coat of a pony; the sound of a waterfall in her Japanese garden and in a Himalayan ravine; the sight of swimming koi, a saffron robe, a red silk sari, a playing child; or the smell of garam masala and the needles of a dawn sequoia.

She enjoyed sharing life with friends and family even in her 90s -- equally at ease discussing the world's events as joking about the distinctions between a lemming and a lemur. She was as likely to be found researching the history of Royal Typewriter as playing bridge, backgammon or doing the New York Times crossword.

Joan was a mother beyond compare. She instilled in her children a thirst for knowledge, a passion for world travel and a deep love of music, art and culture. She encouraged them to follow their dreams and carve their own paths—and she always knew what activities to conjure up for a rainy day. From courageously taking on the role of history and science teacher for her fourth- and sixth-grade daughters in India to enthusiastically attending high school plays, concerts and parent weekends, to watching her offspring trot around the globe, her support for her kids (though at times greatly tested) never wavered.

Joan’s delight with the world is celebrated by her children, Margaret “Peggy” F. Corrigan (Kevin) of Milton Township, MI; Cynthia Waldman Maher (Michael) of Linden, VA; Henry C. Ferguson (Margaret) of Baltimore, MD; Jean F. Gerbini (Antoine) of Delmar, NY; her grandchildren, Rebecca W. Wolff (Jason) of Edinburg, VA; Jessica Waldman (Caleb) of Asheville, NC; Alessandro F. Gerbini (Abigail) of Loudonville, NY; Eleanor F. McLane (Alex) of Wellesley, MA; Monica Gerbini Hershenhorn (Raymond) of Pittsford, NY; Jeffrey Ferguson (Sarah) of Natick, MA; Samuel E. Corrigan of Albany, NY; and Daniel Waldman of New York, NY. She is also celebrated by five great-grandchildren.

Joan received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA (1951). With her husband, Henry Ferguson, Ph.D, she co-founded the cross-cultural educational publishing house, InterCulture Associates, Thompson, CT (1969-1979). She authored Tracking Down the Past (New York State Museum) and articles about subjects as diverse as Japanese gardening, ballet slippers, and shipwrecks.

Joan was a Member Emerita of the Junior Friday Morning Club, Albany, NY (1986-2026); a Member of the Board of Directors of the Visiting Nurses Association of Albany Home Care Corporation, Albany, NY (1988-2011); a Member of the Fort Orange Garden Club, Albany NY (1980s-1990s).

Joan and Henry passionately constructed a Japanese garden on a quarter-acre lot, Loudonville, NY (1980-2019). In the 1990s, the garden attracted busloads of gardening enthusiasts.

A private memorial will be held later in the Spring. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to any of the following of Joan’s favorite causes: Capital Roots, Inc. www.capitalroots.org; World Wildlife Fund www.worldwildlife.org; and/or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital www.stjude.org.