IAN FERGUSSON Obituary

IAN F. FERGUSSON
On June 17, 2021, Ian Frances Fergusson, beloved son of the late Elsie and John Fergusson; loving nephew of Marcia Thomas; dear friend of Anna Baca, Ed Lonergan, Catherine Theohary, and many more friends and colleques.Friends are invited to 1710 Regent Rd., Baltimore, MD, 21209 on Saturday, June 19, 2021, and Sunday, June 20, from 2 to 7 p.m., to honor his life. Memorial Service to be determined at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Maryland Film Festival at www.mdfilmfest.com and/or Friends School at www.friendsbalt.org.

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Published by The Washington Post on Jun. 19, 2021.

Memories and Condolences
for IAN FERGUSSON

5 Entries

Daniel Else

September 5, 2022

Ian and I shared a cubicle, a fondness for Canada (and doughnuts), and a love of public service at the Congressional Research Service from our first days on the job in 2000 until my retirement in 2017. He was a joy to work with and merely to be around with a dry, wry sense of humor that matched my own. His passing is truly a profound loss.

Danielle Ellingston

September 9, 2021

Over the past few months, I have often been reminded of Ian and felt a twinge of bitterness over his passing, and that I never said goodbye. I am going to try to say goodbye here, and imagine that my words go up into the ether where Ian is eating some delicious locally-made European-style cheese while he reads the latest news about some never-ending negotiations over WTO modalities, or considers whether to spend the time and money to spruce up his antique car, which if I remember correctly, was named Princess. But that might have been his truck!

Ian was my first friend when I started working at CRS, and he was the person who knew everyone and got everyone to know each other. He was social glue among a band of happy introverts, coaxing and cajoling us to go out to eat lunch together, whether for dim sum in chinatown or for some upscale lobbyist food during restaurant week. More frequently, he would gather friends to dine at the mediocre capitol hill restaurants near our workplace- he was not a food snob, he liked to socialize, and he did like good food. What I remember most about Ian is that he was intensely curious about even the most obscure point of international trade relations, and perhaps all kinds of international and domestic policy. He learned the ins and outs of what everyone was working on, even if the subjects were far removed from his own areas of expertise. What's more, his enthusiasm and curiosity were contagious, so that, at least from my experience, you could not help but get excited about the finer points of export controls and international intellectual property regulation negotiations, or whatever else caught his interest.

Most importantly, Ian was also a very good and loyal friend. He was always available to help out when needed, and was around for a lot of fun times too. He helped me pick up my first car that I bought from my uncle on Long Island, NY-- a pretty mundane task, but I remember that his fascination with the Long Island lifestyle/culture and curiosity about my family made the whole trip much more interesting. After moving to Seattle, I made a point of getting in touch with him whenever I visited DC for work. The last time I saw him we ate ramen at a restaurant near the office where I was working, about a year before Covid, and I didn't imagine that would be the last time ever.

I am sorry that we lost Ian, and that I will never get to see him again. May he be remembered well by all who cared about him!

June 21, 2021

It is with a heavy heart that I extend my deepest sympathy to the friends and family of Ian. If it hadn't been for your amazing mother, Elsie, I wouldn't have had the pleasure of meeting you. Rest peacefully.

Nicolas Cook

June 19, 2021

I liked you right from the start, brother, a few weeks shy of 20 years ago when we first met, and it’s been a wonderful two decades since as close friends and colleagues. I’ve said my piece with memories elsewhere. I’ll just say here that I’ll always miss you Ian, as will so many others. With the greatest affection, your friend, Nic

Richard & Connie Musser

June 18, 2021

Ian

Your friendship will be greatly missed.

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