Mary Louise (Maassen) Ferguson

Mary Louise Ferguson of Annandale, Minnesota passed away peacefully on October 3, 2025, at 79 years old. Mary was born on July 11, 1946. She was the daughter of the late Francis Elmer Maassen and Ione Muriel (Andersen) Maassen. She was the oldest of three children, along with her sister and best friend Peggy Fell, and her brother Baby Boy Maassen. Mary attended Walnut School, and lived on a farm north of walnut until graduation. Mary then left for college in Missouri where she attended North West Missouri State and was a member of a service sorority called Gamma Sigma Sigma with her closest friends Rochelle and Karen, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. Mary met her late husband Robert (Bob) Everett Ferguson while in the Chicago airport preparing to travel to Denmark to visit family. I would say a handsome man in a navy uniform really piqued her interest because they talked for a long time and exchanged addresses and that is where their 49-year relationship began. After just over a year of love letters and a few visits Bob and Mary were married In Avoca Iowa at Trinity Lutheran Church, the church Mary grew up in. Bob and Mary raised two children together daughter Rebecca Ferguson and son/grandson Cameron Gisch. Mary had a love for children and education. She dabbled in painting for a time, and loved to read and do word search puzzles. Mary loved to travel to see family and friends. In their retirement years Bob and Mary purchased a Lake home and RV and spent their time traveling and entertaining their grandchildren. Mary loved her grandkids so very much and was so proud of them. She loved to hear about their accomplishments, activities, and day to day life as often as possible which meant many trips to see them daily phone calls to check in and time spent spoiling them rotten. Mary loved to sit and watch the kids play at the lake and make them yummy treats her specialty was BURNT chocolate pudding! Mary had a hysterical obsession with black cows and loved to go on car rides to look at them and the country side. Mary was a kind soul and a beautiful loving person. She never had a bad word for anyone and was always trying to see the good side of everyone and everything. She was the most wonderfully loved daughter sister mother and grandmother and friend. Mary will be greatly missed by her surviving family which includes: daughter, Rebecca Ferguson and Fiancée Jeremy Johnson of Rolla, MO; Son/grandson Cameron Gisch of St. Paul Park, MN; 9 grandchildren, Mikeem Fool and wife Kristyn of Oklahoma City, OK; Scarlett Wiersma, Destiny Anderson, Layla Anderson, Landon Wiersma, Maassen Wiersma, Maverick Wiersma, Liam Groves, and Rouge Groves, all of Rolla, MO; sister Peggy Fell and husband Jeff of Deer Creek, MN; three brother in-laws, Tony Ferguson and wife Cindy of Thompson Falls, MT; Paul Ferguson and wife Yolanda of Miles City, MT; Donald Ferguson and wife Vicky of Elko, NV; nieces and nephews; Christopher Mertz and his children Faith, Alyssa, Bailey, and Evelyn of Omaha NE; Eric Mertz and wife Cheyenne and their children Ruger and Willow of Walnut, IA; Scott Mertz and wife Cori Rendon of Lynnwood, WA; Faith Davila and husband Eddie and their children Havyn, Tenley and Everett Of Bozeman MT; Raymond Ferguson and girlfriend Taylor McGuire of Miles City, MT; Clarissa Ferguson and boyfriend Tyler Martin of Kailua-Kona HI; Ann Stershic and husband Ryan of Salem, OR; and many other family members and friends. To: Kayla Diedrich, Olivia Permenter, Shelia Varner, Kim Radcliff, Emily Falkenrath, Jazlyn Jackson, Cecelia Ferguson, Narrissa Bonebrake, Samantha Richardson, Kyla Manso, Serenity Gaither, Katrina Wester, and Dionne Kelley, the family would like to say, a very very heartfelt THANK YOU for loving and caring for my mother in her last stages of Alzheimer’s when we were no longer capable of caring for her at home. To chef extraordinaire Deborah Ratliff, your cooking helped my mother start eating again when it had taken such a decline and you always made her smile, and to Mr. fix it himself Mike Riley you always handled the dirty work and we can’t thank you enough! You have all become FAMILY and we love you all so very much, my mom was so lucky to have you! A funeral service for Mary Louise Ferguson will be conducted at Trinity Lutheran Church in Avoca, IA on October 11, 2025 beginning at 10 a.m. A visitation for family and friends will be held at the church prior to the service at 9 a.m. A luncheon will follow the services at the church. P.S. Mary has a little Lamb.

Mary Louise (Maassen) Ferguson

July 11, 1946 - October 2, 2025