Kenneth Henry Ferg

Kenneth Henry Ferg, born February 3, 1936, in Chicago, Ill., passed away peacefully in his home, in Marengo, Ill., on November 28, 2024.

Kenneth grew up in the Chicago area, where he met future wife Carolyn Stern on a school bus. After graduating from Proviso High School. Ken married Carolyn prior to joining the Army. After Ken’s service he returned to the Chicago area, and owned a gas station repair shop for several years. After selling the gas station Ken began driving trucks for Liquid Carbonic. Ken drove for Liquid Carbonic for many years before buying, Ferg’s Wild Goose Resort in Fifield. Ken later sold the resort and began driving trucks for the Park Falls Paper Mill until he “retired.” He decided to drive smaller trucks and began working full-time for Car Quest in Woodruff as a delivery driver. During this time Ken developed many friendships within the auto repair businesses in the area. Ken also established great friendships with his boss, Mike, and coworkers. Ken was known to keep a steady supply of doughnuts for his coworkers at the shop. Ken then “retired” again, moving to Marengo, Ill., June 2014 to his home on “Golden Pond,” where he once again came out of retirement to be park maintenance manager of the retirement community he lived in. During this time Ken developed friendships with everyone in the park including, and especially his best friend, Tom Fritz.

Ken loved his time sitting on his deck, bird watching, reading or just looking out on his Golden Pond. Ken loved all of his “Big Dogs” over the years, and loved his devoted cats, Henry and Katie. Ken showed love and patience for his grand-puppy Oliver. Ken loved camping at Lake Gogebic where he sat around the campfire, and loved walking his “Big Dogs” around the campground where he developed many friends who were attracted to the “Big Dogs,” kids were especially attracted to the magic of the “Big Dogs.”

Ken loved cheering for and watching his beloved Chicago Bears with his daughter Cathy. Ken loved patrolling the retirement park on the golf cart that daughter Coleen and son-in-law Paul bought him for visiting and maintaining all of the friends he had made there over the years. Ken passed down his love of a good Friday night fish fry and the importance of a date night to daughter Carin and her husband Nate.

Ken is preceded in death by: spouse, Carolyn M.(Stern) Ferg, brothers Neil Ferg, and Mark Ferg, and grandson Zackary Weiberg. Parents Henry and Flora Ferg.

Survivors:

Children: Catherine (Ferg) Anderson, Carin (Nate) Ouimette, Coleen (Paul) Frame. Mindy, John, Bridgett, and Clay Ferg. Sister-in-law: Marilee (Mark) Ferg. Grandchildren: Ryan Anderson, Emily (Alex) Gonzalez, Lynda (David)Hagen, Jenna (Daniel) Gore, Brandy (Bryan) Birk, Charlyn ( Allen) Petrie, and Zackary Weiberg, (Deceased) Great-grandchildren: Aiden, Madden, Alex, and Pryce Petrie, Liam and Myla Birk, Violet, David, Sophia and Nate Hagen, and Lilly and Winter Gore. Other survivors: Good friend, Tom Fritz. Cousins: Kathy and Bill, Cheryl and Bill, Lonnie, Kathleen and Gary, Janet and others.

Services: Upon Ken’s wishes there will not be a funeral service. Ken and Carolyn’s ashes will be mingled and spread at a future date, as they both wished.