Gordon "Buddy" Ferguson

Gordon James Ferguson, known as "Buddy" to family and childhood friends, passed away two weeks ago and is coming home to Long Island this weekend for his memorial service and burial. He lost a long and hard-fought seven-year battle with cancer. Gordon had a strong will to live, and he beat the disease twice, but succumbed to an unexpected third round of cancer this summer, though he fought bravely against it until the end. He refused the idea of palliative care in favor of a new round of treatment, but time was not on his side this time.
He was born and raised in Massapequa, NY, growing up with a love of sports, both as a competitor and as a spectator. He played baseball and excelled in track at Massapequa High School, and was a die-hard fan of the New York Yankees for his entire life. Young Gordon, or "Buddy" as his family called him, spent his summers at the Biltmore Beach Club, and the nearby boat docks, swimming, fishing and just having a typical, wonderful Massapequa childhood. He loved playing baseball, collecting baseball cards and comic books; and he was really into board games, especially those that made you think and strategize. As kids, we would host marathon Monopoly games with our friends in the neighborhood that lasted for days. His all-time favorite game though was Strat-O-Matic baseball, which requires dedicated fans like Gordon to order the new major league player cards every year to compete with other players. He played that game religiously through the years, had the 2024 cards, and was surely looking forward to the new set next year. He loved that game!
Gordon was smart, funny and a very talented and dedicated writer, teacher, and poet. He graduated with his master's degree in English from the SUNY Oswego, and traveled with a college friend for a year to see the rest of the country after graduation. Gordon fell in love with the west and Midwest. He lived for a year in Wyoming, and then Wisconsin before settling down in the Twin Cities, which he loved and thought of as "home". For many years he taught English in local charter schools and community colleges before switching gears and pursuing an encore career working as a Minneapolis community organizer and activist for Clean Water Action Minnesota and other organizations. He was passionate about human dignity, civil rights, and education. Gordon was always driven by a desire to make a difference in the world. He was determined to do so, and worked hard at making things better for everyone.
Gordon loved books, especially volumes of poetry, and he loved music. We grew up on 1970's WABC pop before he discovered rock and roll (especially Bruce Springsteen), and folk (the late Harry Chapin was his favorite) and heritage Celtic music. For many years Gordon was a member of a folk group called Arise & Stagger, where he honed his skills as a surprisingly good singer and songwriter. They performed live in many venues across the Midwest, and had a strong following. He was constantly sending out demo tapes and CD's, including to us family members, and the band recorded enough material for at least two albums, but alas were never able to get that elusive record deal. He had notebooks full of his own poetry and song lyrics, which we will treasure forever.
Gordon Ferguson was a good man with a great sense of humor, and he loved connecting with people. He loved a good conversation. His family and friends will most likely miss that the most. He was a good listener as well as an excellent debater, and lively conversations were his forte. He was always a loyal, generous and compassionate friend. He is survived by---and will be forever missed by---his two brothers, Dean and Eric, his sisters Teresa and Kelly, his brothers-in-law John and Tim, and his sister-in-law Hellen. Gordon was a man who loved this world, and all of the people in it, including his wonderful friends and extended family and lifelong friends back in Massapequa, New York. Buddy, the world will never be same again without you in it. Godspeed, little brother, until we meet again.