Brooke Nicole Ferguson

Brooke Nicole

Ferguson

On January 3, 2023, Brooke found peace. While her professional life as Dean of Student Affairs at Virginia Western Community College was a huge part of who Brooke was, she is the totality of her life--a life defined by family and friends and the memories we have of her. Brooke was an incredible, intelligent, accomplished, strong woman who fought hard in all aspects of her life. She was always insightful--a person who everyone stopped to listen to when she spoke. Those who loved her will remember the times we spent with her, her sense of humor including an appreciation of a perfectly timed "that's what she said" joke, or her great t-shirts, the concerts we attended with her and her excitement over concert merch, the workouts she dragged us to, and the Halloween parties she organized. She loved concerts but was equally happy spending time on a deck with her loved ones. She was a sympathy crier who loved volleyball and expensive rum and enthusiastically attended book club while making it perfectly clear she would not be reading the book.

Brooke was a woman of great stature--from her physical height and presence to the way she carried herself. Arguably, the best of Brooke was how she cared for others--in her thoughtful gift giving and warmth, to her often self-deprecating sense of humor, which she used to put others at ease.

Most important to Brooke was her family, and she was happiest at the beach with them. She loved watching her daughter, Mackenzie, play sports. She invested her time in activities to enrich Sawyer and Mackenzie's lives. She sold cookie dough for fundraisers, attended volleyball tournaments, and volunteered at daycare. Her children were her highest priority--the absolute joy of her life--and she loved being their mom. She sported "Me & Zie" on her license plate--she sure loved her girl. And when she found out she was pregnant with Sawyer, she was so excited to be welcoming a son. Brooke also loved and deeply supported her partner's children-Jackson, Mason and Emme, as her own.

We are devastated by her loss but take comfort in knowing that she is at peace. Our focus now is supporting Mackenzie, Sawyer, and family as best we can and keeping her memory alive for them.

As we continue on without her, we hope the next time you attend a concert, enjoy a cocktail, laugh at a great joke, enjoy a warm walk on the beach, cheer on your favorite sports team or reluctantly join a book club, that you will remember Brooke. We are all better for knowing her.

Lovingly submitted by: Laura Furcron, Valerie Coles & Hillary Holland