Jean L. "Joy" Ferguson

Jean L. “Joy” Ferguson, 91 of Kimball, died at her home west of Kimball on Friday, May 25, 2018. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, June 1, 2018 at the Trinity United Methodist Church in Kimball with Pastor Carla Gunn officiating. Burial will be in the Kimball Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home on Thursday, May 31, 2018 from 1:00 until 6:00 p.m. with the family present from 5:00 until 6:00 p.m. to greet friends. Friends may also visit http://www.cantrellfh.com to view Joy’s Tribute Wall and leave condolences and stories for the family. Memorials may be given in her memory to the Kimball Hospital Foundation. The services for Joy have been entrusted to the Cantrell Funeral Home.

Jean Loy “Joy” Ferguson was born in a Banner County sod house on June 28, 1926 to William Bryan and Sarah Elizabeth (Hopkins) Kelley. Joy was a graduate of Liberty Rural High School north of Morrill and earned her teaching certificate from Chadron State College. She taught at the 19th-century log house Flowerfield School in southern Banner County and worked at American National Bank and Huffman Drug Store in Kimball, and at Carol’s Nut List in her later years. After his return home after World War II, Joy married John E. (Gene) Ferguson on March 4, 1951. After two years of construction work mostly in Wyoming, Gene and Joy settled west of Kimball, where they devoted their lives to kids, corn, cattle and hogs. Joy will be lovingly remembered as a “very sweet lady,” a devoted wife, mother and community volunteer. She served as an election worker for Kimball County for more than 30 years.

She is survived by her sister, Ellyn Spade of Buffalo, Wyo., sons John B. and wife Elizabeth, Dan and wife Terry and Kerry and wife Jeri Ferguson, all of Kimball; grandchildren Matt Ferguson, Ashley (Jared) Baxendale, Kelli (Will) Remien and James Henry Ferguson; Devin Ferguson, Danielle (James) Bascomb, Morgan (Ashlyn) Ferguson and Chauncey Richardson; and Charles (Tracia) Ferguson, Kendall Ferguson, Michael Ferguson and numerous great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Joy is preceded in death by her husband, parents and twin brothers Claude and Clitus Kelley and grandson Andrew Christopher (Tophie).