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Jon Ferguson
Jon Charles Ferguson, 83, passed away peacefully in Ludington on Monday, September 21, 2026, surrounded by the family who adored him,.
Jon was born in Ludington on April 8, 1943, the second child of Charles Joseph and Helen Irene (née Shusta) Ferguson. As a teen, he helped construct the building for his family’s business, Ferguson Electric. Jon graduated from Ludington High school in 1961 and attended the University of Michigan, joining the Navy ROTC and earning admittance to the prestigious National Society of Pershing Rifles. During the summers, Jon served on an aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy Reserve. He was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1967. Jon graduated with a bachelor’s of science degree in electrical engineering from Western Michigan University.
In 1967, Jon married Sallie Beth Peterson, also of Ludington; they were married for 46 years, until her death in 2013. They had two daughters, Sara Roi and Anna Beth. Jon’s career took the family from Kalamazoo and Portage to Petoskey to Grand Rapids to Dayton, Ohio, and finally back to Grand Rapids. He worked first in sales and later in management for companies including IBM, ADP, and Mead Data Central. After leaving MDC, he went into business for himself, owning and operating Auntie Anne’s pretzel stores, and then, in his retirement, a Melting Pot restaurant.
When Jon married Sallie, he joined the Lutheran Church in America (now the ELCA). An enthusiastic Lutheran who embraced the tenet of salvation by Grace alone, Jon served on church councils, taught Sunday school, participated in men’s groups, and served as an usher, a lay reader, and a lay communion officiant. Jon befriended several Lutheran pastors, treasuring these friendships and considering himself an ambassador between clergy and the “real world.”
Jon was a longtime member of Rotary International. He enjoyed boating and sailing on Lake Michigan. He also loved musical theater—he identified with Tevye from “Fiddler on the Roof”—and the Grand Rapids Symphony Pops concerts. But no music made him happier than that of the Scottville Clown Band.
A devoted Wolverine, Jon woke his family in the morning by singing songs from his Michigan days. He watched football every Saturday, often while “cleaning the garage” so he could smoke a cigar. When Sara was in college at U-M, he would attend games with her at the Big House. He took his daughters to Tigers games, but more often they would drive around Ludington or Grand Rapids listening to Ernie Harwell and stopping for ice cream. Jon and Sallie attended every parent-teacher conference, every school play, every sporting event, and every recital. When their daughters were grown, Jon and Sallie enjoyed attending auctions and taking Mississippi River paddlewheel cruises together. After Sallie died, Jon moved to Covenant Living of the Great Lakes, where he enjoyed friends and community for the last decade of his life.
All three of the women in Jon’s life—his wife and two daughters—developed breast cancer in the decade between 2002 and 2012. Sallie died from a recurrence of her cancer, but Sara and Anna continue to thrive, in no small part due to Jon’s support during their treatment and after.
Jon will be remembered for his extraordinary generosity, with both his time and money. If there was a need, he would do what he could to meet it. From volunteering for the church to helping found the Montessori School in Kalamazoo, to lending money to those in need—Jon was the person you called if you needed help. Later in his life, Jon became a regular donor to Grand Rapids Public Radio, the Ithaca Waldorf School, and Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, where he established a fund in memory of Sallie to support visits to the gardens for children from underserved communities. He will also be remembered for his affection, his own brand of humor, and his extraordinary dedication to his family.
Jon was predeceased by his wife Sallie; his sister Kaye Holman; his sister-in-law Suzann Gardin; and his dear friends Wally and Sue Blanksma.
He is survived by his brother, Gary Ferguson (Sheryl Baun) of Ludington, who cared for Jon devotedly in the last years of his life; his brother-in-law Ronald Gardin of Manistee; his daughters Sara Ferguson of Ithaca, NY, and Anna Ferguson of Cleveland, Ohio; his sons-in-law David Whitmore and Dean Valore; and his beloved grandchildren, Gabriel, Camila, and Lucian; and by the two nieces who enriched his later years, Brenda Marsh (Kevin) and Lisa Lockwood (Greg), as well as many other dear nieces and nephews and grandnieces and grandnephews.
A memorial service will be held on November 14 at 11:30 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids. In memory of Jon, contributions may be made to the Sallie Peterson Ferguson Fund at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Foundation, 2929 Walker NW, Grand Rapids.
In gratitude for his life and love, the Ferg family echo Jon in saying, “Thanks be to God, and Go Blue!”
Arrangements were entrusted to Grace Funeral Home and Cremation Services, www.GraceCremations.com.
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