Thomas Hugh Ferrer

1942 - 2025

Thomas Ferrer passed away peacefully at home on February 17 surrounded by his family. Tom had been dealing with Parkinson's and heart failure for many years, all the while with grace and commitment not to let it define him. He will be dearly missed by all those who knew and loved him.

Tom was born in Manhattan, the second of five children born to Dr. Jose and Mary Ferrer. He is predeceased by his brothers, Jose and James Ferrer and is survived by his wife Marnie, two sisters, Linda Ferrer, and Molly Ferrer, and sons Hugh, Judd (Robin), and Patrick (Colleen); and grandchildren, Callum and Sophie; Connie, Hector, James and Verity; Braden, James and Sullivan. Tom adored his grandchildren. He always looked forward to calls and visits. His family recalls Tom enjoyed the reference to Fred McMurray with 'My Three Sons' when thinking of his progeny and the sons he leaves behind.

Tom attended The Buckley School and Portsmouth Abbey School before graduating from Princeton University in 1964. He began his business career in the mailroom at Marsh & McLennan and retired 33 years later as the Managing Director of the Cleveland office. As the head of office his philosophy was "management by walking around". His door was always open, and he was in the trenches with his team solving problems.

Tom never met a stranger. He treated everyone with respect and loved educating with stories. He was a well-read and intelligent man and often used storytelling to relate to his audience while showing a genuine curiosity about the life experiences of those he was speaking with. Tom was a linguaphile. He loved the musical quality of words and made them dance in the limericks he created for any special occasion. He was blessed with a photographic memory and was often referred to as "Tom.com" by his children and their friends, to his delight. Although he never pursued the challenge, he would have made a worthy adversary on Jeopardy. He was always good about recalling details about (sometimes obscure) historical events at dinner parties and seemed to have a never-ending well of knowledge about almost any topic.

Tom loved anything French. One of his proudest moments was while strolling the boulevards in Paris, a Frenchman asked him for directions, which he gave. He was very honored to be recognized as a native. Soon after moving to Charlotte, he joined the French speaking group at The International House. The people he met there were interesting and vivacious and became some of his closest friends.

There will be a memorial service to celebrate Tom's life on March 13 at 11:30 a.m. in the Chapel at Christ Episcopal Church, 1412 Providence Rd., Charlotte, NC 28207.

In lieu of flowers, please make a memorial donation to Holy Angels Belmont, who provide specialized, round-the-clock care for children and adults: www.holyangelsnc.org.

Tributes for the Ferrer family available at www.carolinafuneral.com