Barbara Ferguson Trainer

Barbara Doris Crangle Ferguson Trainer

April 8, 1922 - July 30, 2014

Barbara passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her family at the age of 92. The eldest daughter of William and Doris Crangle of Cleveland, Ohio, she attended Denison University as a member of Alpha Phi sorority. After graduating with a degree in sociology, she turned to adventure, studied aviation and eventually ended up with a career in the travel business. San Francisco captured her heart in the 1950's and she spent the rest of her life with the Bay Area as her home base for traveling the world. She was married to F. Alan Ferguson in 1952 and together they had three children. They were married for 46 years until he passed away in 1998. Later she was married to Richard M. Trainer in 2002 until he passed away in 2013.
Our mother was a spirit of life, vibrancy and unquenchable energy. She had a smile and a laugh for everyone she met and quickly made friends everywhere she went. She loved the outdoors, especially sailing and golf, and was a member of the Palo Alto and Sequoia Yacht Clubs, Palo Alto Golf Club, the Stanford Golf Club and played with the 9-hole Ladies group. She was generous to charity, supporting the arts though ACT, the San Francisco Symphony, TheatreWorks, and volunteering with the Allied Arts Guild and Rotary. She trekked in Nepal at age 79, learned tango at 80, and by then had traveled every continent of the world. Her every day, up to her last, was full of social events with wonderful friends and family.
Barbara was preceded in death by her sister Judith Rose and her two husbands. She is survived by her sister Marjorie McFarland, her children Ann Carlino, Judith Crop, and Stuart Ferguson, her grandchildren Antonino, Benjamin, Joseph, and Rhiana, and her great grandchildren Rhianna and Colton.
A memorial celebration of her life will be held at the Sequoia Yacht Club, 441 Seaport Ct, Redwood City, CA 94063 on Sunday, September 14th at 11:00 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Rotary Club of East Palo Alto Bayshore, or the Lunstgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research. For further information, please contact Barbara's daughter, Judith Crop at 650-493-8624.