Janet Lee Ferguson

Janet Ferguson, a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, passed away peacefully in Sun City Center, Florida, on September 20, 2024. Born in Washington, D.C., on March 8, 1938, Janet lived a life full of adventure, warmth, and boundless love; leaving an indelible legacy that will forever be cherished by all who knew her.
She is survived by her devoted husband of 67 years, Robert (Bob) James Ferguson, and their children: Diane, Linda, Christina, Robin, and Robert. Janet was also a proud and loving grandmother to Adam, Alex, Zach, Emily, Ken, Ethan, Madeline, Christy, Danny, Joey, Nick, Bailee, Ryan, Audrey, as well as eight great grandchildren. The second of eight children of Robert and Lilian Hoff, she was loved by her siblings and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, and extended family.
Janet spent her early years in Hyattsville, Maryland, graduating from Northwestern High School. Janet and Bob met at a wedding and soon after (three months after!) they married and started their lives together. Stops along the way included Wiesbaden, Germany, College Park, Maryland and Chesapeake Beach, Maryland and ultimately a journey to Florida.
Janet worked and retired from the Government Printing Office. Her passion for helping others showed in her professional career where she made a lasting impact helping employees quit smoking by running smoking cessations clinics as part of GPO's employee assistance program.
Janet's love for fun competition also stood out. She was a player on softball teams in her youth, a time when it was rare for girls to participate in sports. Later, she enthusiastically coached for the College Park Girls Club, sharing her passion for the game with young athletes. Over a period of decades, she was an important part of multiple duckpin bowling teams and even recently played on the Sun City softball team.
Even as life moved forward, Janet's willingness to take on new challenges never waned. At the age of 50, she took up cycling, and soon after, she completed countless century rides (100 miles) and multi-day riding adventures, making lifelong friendships with fellow cyclists along the way. For over 20 years, Janet and Bob shared cycling adventures together, travelling to places like Newfoundland, Canada to see the world from the seats of their bikes.
Her love of sports and outdoors was parallel to her love for connecting with people. Janet had an extraordinary gift for conversation, turning brief encounters into meaningful, lasting relationships. Whether at a cycling event or a family camping trip or even a trip to the grocery store, she filled every moment with joy, laughter, and a sense of adventure that brought those around her closer together.
Later in life, she became an active member of the Sun City community, even joining the Center Security Patrol, where she took pride in serving her community. She also participated in the RV Camping Club where she enjoyed traveling to local area campsites with friends and neighbors.
A Memorial Service will be held at Sun City Center Funeral Home on Thursday, Oct 3, 2024. The family will begin receiving visitors at 1pm and the service will be 2-3pm.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Organization for Autism Research in her honor.