Wrangell Sentinel -

Former Wrangell resident, Thorne W. Ferguson, Sr. passed away January 6, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nev. with his family by his side.

A lifelong Alaskan he was born June 19, 1936 in Wrangell, Alaska the youngest of nine children. He attended school in Wrangell and was very involved in hunting, fishing and playing basketball. He and his future wife, Carol, were high school sweethearts with a love for each other that lasted over 60 years. Carol was a cheerleader and he was a basketball player. He was a member of the Wrangell basketball team that won the 1952 All Alaska

State Basketball Championship.

He loved fishing and hunting, spending many happy hours out on the water. He fished all over Alaska and spent many summers fishing in Bristol Bay.

He was a member of the Wrangell Volunteer Fire Department and served on the Wrangell City Council. He worked in the lumber and construction industry and in the 60s and owned and operated a hardware store. He sold the store and started his own construction company in 1973 and in 1976 he and his wife moved to Anchorage where he continued in the construction field. He literally worked construction projects from Ketchikan to Barrow and Carol spent many happy times in Las Vegas having watched it grow from the small town in the 60s to what it is today and enjoyed every trip always looking forward to the next one. He enjoyed nothing more than having his whole family together.

He was preceded in death by his parents, four sisters and three brothers.

He is survived by his wife Carol; his daughter and son-in-law Debra and Jim McCormack; son and daughter-in-law, Thorne and Julie Ferguson and grandson Kelly McCormack all of Anchorage; a sister Yolanda Stein of Shoreline, Wash. and numerous nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held in Wrangell on July 6, 2013.