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Couple celebrates 60th wedding anniversary
By Shawn Strannigan

Jean and Fergy Ferguson.

On February 14, 1942, Jean and Fergy Ferguson gazed into each other's eyes and said, "I do."

Sixty years later, their vows remain unbroken and their love steadfast.

"We are best friends, buddies, and sweethearts," said Jean, as she reflected on their years together.

Jean was born in Kansas where her daddy farmed wheat. After several crop failures during the Dust Bowl, the family moved to Payette, Idaho, to make a living. Jean was in high school when she first met the man she was to marry.

Jean is three years younger than her husband.

"I went to school with Fergy's sisters," she said. "(One sister) invited me over to her house one day to work on a sewing project and that's when I met Fergy. He started giving my dad rides home from work, and I made sure I was always out feeding our puppies when Fergy pulled up. It gave me an excuse to talk to him."

Fergy was equally smitten with young Jean. One afternoon, he offered her a ride home from school in his hot rod, and that was the beginning of their enduring romance. After two years of dating, the couple exchanged their vows at a small church in Nampa, Idaho. Jean was 17; her groom just turned 20.

Sixty years later, Fergy and Jean look back on their lives with grateful satisfaction. They spent 33 years in the Portland area, where they raised two daughters. (They now try to keep up with six grandchildren and nine great grandchildren). Fergy drove a truck to put bread on the table, a job that was always a pleasure for him.

"I loved it," admitted Fergy. "I just like to drive -- guess I never found the end of the yellow line."

The Fergusons discovered Central Oregon in 1944 when they vacationed at Suttle Lake.

"It was a lot different then," said Jean. "You could park anywhere around the lake and there was just one little lodge where you could rent fishing boats."

The couple's happy memories of Suttle Lake and the surrounding area drew them back to Central Oregon after Fergy's retirement.

When asked what advice they would give young couples on how to make their love last a lifetime, neither Jean nor Fergy had to think long about their answers.

"I'd tell the couples not to live together before they get married," said Fergy. "And then I think respect and trust are very important."

"We try to do for each other before we do for ourselves," said Jean. "And God is the center of our lives -- He always helps us work through our problems."

Fergy gets up each morning and builds a fire in the woodstove. When Jean gets up, the two sit and sip coffee together in front of the cozy fire.

"Then we always hold hands and start the day with prayer," Fergy said.

The Fergusons have always celebrated their love for each other by remembering birthdays and anniversaries -- and making those days special.

"The reason I picked Valentine's Day to get married," Jean said, "was to make sure Fergy never forgot our anniversary -- and he never has!"

The couple has celebrated their anniversary with trips to the Oregon coast, Seattle, and even Hawaii. For their 50th wedding anniversary, their oldest daughter threw a big bash for them in Portland.

But for Jean, their 49th anniversary celebration shines out as a highlight in their marriage.

"Fergy took me out to dinner in Bend, but surprised me by having a limo come and pick us up! It was so special," she said.

This year, Fergy and Jean plan to renew their vows at a special service honoring marriage at their church.

"That's on February 8," said Fergy. "We'll probably do dinner at Black Butte on the 14th."

He paused, then reached over and took Jean's hand.

"I just hope the Lord grants us another 20 years together!"

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