D. Roger Ferguson, 79, died Feb. 14, 2021, at the Dr. P. Phillips Hospital in Orlando, FL, from non-COVID-19 complications following surgery.

Visitation was held at the Beckman-Williamson Funeral Home in Viera/Rockledge Florida March 11, 2021, at 5 p.m. A funeral was conducted there the next day, March 12, 2021, at 10:30 a.m. Burial was at the Cape Canaveral National Cemetery with full military honors at 2 p.m.

Roger was born in North Syracuse in 1941 to Scottish Canadian immigrants to the United States: Archibald James Ferguson, a bookkeeper, and Winifred (née Brown) Ferguson, a seamstress.

Roger graduated from North Syracuse Public High School in 1958 and was recruited and accepted, on the basis of exceptional academic merit, to Harvard University where he studied physics and engineering (HR 1962,) (Naval ROTC at Harvard.) He volunteered for Admiral Hyman G. Rickover’s nuclear navy which was in its nascent stages at that historical Cold War time. He graduated number one in his Nuclear Power School class. Roger served the United States of America on board the USS Haddo (SSN-604) as an operations officer and held the rank of Lieutenant. After his U.S. Naval service, Roger earned an MBA at the University of Chicago in finance.

He met and married the erudite mathematician and college president, Pamela Anderson Ferguson, Phd.  Their union was a happy one and bore two children.
Roger went on to become the Senior Vice President of Engineering and Maintenance for Eastern Airlines in Miami, FL. Roger was confident enough to follow his wife’s career as she became the first female president of Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. Roger was the Founder and CEO of Access Airlines in Iowa. His first wife died in 2004.

In retirement, Roger consulted for various defense companies. He travelled to 95 countries including his favorite Antarctica and South Georgia twice.

His passion in retirement was founding the Foster Aunt and Uncle Project (IowaREADS) to help at-risk youth with literacy.

Roger is survived by his second wife, C. Adrienne Baughman of Melbourne, FL; adult children Amanda F. Wilson and her children, Adam F. Wilson and Emily A. Wilson; Keith A. Ferguson (Tracey Lewis) of Point Loma, CA., and their children Caroline A. Ferguson and Andrew L. Ferguson. Roger’s brother Roy A. Ferguson of Columbia, MD, survives him as do many relatives, some still residing in Canada whom he loved.

Roger was a consummate American patriot and, when asked, encouraged his fellow Americans to “Step Up and serve our Country.” Roger asked any memorials be sent to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA.Org).

An oral history of Roger’s service in the Silent Service on board a nuclear submarine can be found at the Veteran’s History Project archived in The Library of Congress.