Michael Ferdinand

1950 - 2019

Michael Peter Ferdinand
Michael Peter Ferdinand went to be with Jesus on November 14, 2019 after a long and brave battle with cancer. Mike was an entrepreneur, craftsman, lover of golden retrievers, and had a phobia of large social gatherings. He loved his goldendoodle Hamilton, sarcasm, sports cars, his garage, Fox News, The Ark Church, the band Orpheus, and screwdrivers (both the drink and the tool).
Mike was born in Buffalo, New York on December 6, 1950 to Jerome and Phyllis Ferdinand and brother Jerry. In 1963 they moved to Fairfield, Connecticut where he met and married the most kind and patient woman on the planet, his wife Patricia Karen Dietrich. They married on June 20, 1970 and are just shy of celebrating their 50th anniversary. They had two beautiful daughters, Jennie and Julie. Mike graduated with a degree from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. Mike and Pat moved to Saint Louis and then on to Texas where they made a permanent home and became part of "The Wild Moss Bunch", creating deep and rich friendships that last to this day.
Mike founded Interquest Detection Canines in 1988 alongside Debbie Farmer. Interquest grew into a multimillion dollar corporation over the years, sending drug dogs around the world to service both schools and industries. He was also a carpenter, craftsman, and mechanic. Mike rebuilt countless cars including a 1966 Corvette, a 1967 Corvette, a De Tomaso Pantera, and Ferrari F40, just to name a few. He could build a piece of furniture from any picture you gave him. Trains, motorcycles, and boats - anything awesome with an engine - were his absolute favorites. He could make a mean grilled cheese, loved blue cheese dressing, and ate broccoli with mayonnaise on it. Fittingly, Mike's last words included some with four letters that we can't print here because he bravely battled cancer in his last days with the same tenacity and stubbornness that he lived his life.
Mike is survived by his loving wife, Patricia, his daughters and son in laws, Keith and Jennifer Richards and Tommy and Julie Hauser. He is also survived by his beautiful grandchildren Mayra, Will, Andrew, Reid, Austin, Ansley, Sage, and Crew, great grandson, Alex and many other friends and family members. He is preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Jerry Ferdinand.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Legacy Foundation at The Ark Church. Services to celebrate Mike's life will take place at The Ark Church in Conroe, Texas on Thursday, November 21, 2019 at 1 p.m. Meanwhile, his faithful dog Hamilton will still be waiting by the door for his return.