A. Bruce Ferguson, 89

A. Bruce Ferguson, 89

Bruce Ferguson dropped his beloved gavel for one last time before he entered through the pearly gates into the loving arms of the ultimate judge, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Born April 10, 1930, to Amos Ferguson and Ada Kruse, in Baldwin, N.Y. He spent much of his life moving from New York to Nevada, to California and back with his beloved half-sister, Jean.

Bruce was drafted to the Korean Conflict as a telephone and telegraph carrier, where he earned two Bronze Stars and left as a staff sergeant. Upon discharge from the war, he used the GI Bill to attend San Diego State University, earning a Bachelor’s of Science in mechanical engineering in 1954. He began employment with Ryan Aeronautical Company as an engineer, developing technology that was used for NASA’s Apollo Lunar Landing Program. He spent much of his time on the Eagle doppler-radar altimeter system design team as a support engineer. In 1959, he befriended a corporate lawyer with his company and became an assistant legal counsel to this man. It was this boss who pushed him to attend law school. He attended night school at University of San Diego School of Law, earning his Juris Doctorate in 1964. He worked a short stint in corporate law before joining the district attorney’s office of San Diego as a deputy DA.

Bruce was given a lot of juvenile cases to handle, of which he enjoyed and eventually specialized in. In 1970, a judgeship opened in the Juvenile Division of the Superior Court of San Diego, where he was voted in by the sitting justices. This began a 17-year career as a Superior Court Judge in the Family Law Division. He retired on March 31, 1987.

Not to settle down too quickly, he moved to LaGrande, Ore., and went back to school again. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in secondary education from Eastern Oregon State University in 1989. He did not find teaching rewarding, so he joined the Eastern Oregon State Prison as a hearing officer in 1991, where he mediated disagreements between prisoners. He could often be found hiking the trails around LaGrande or helping at the Oregon Interpretive Center in Baker City, or giving historical talks at the local national parks in the Oregon area to anyone who would listen.

Bruce married Yvonne A. Nelson on Aug. 10, 1992, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. They spent 28 years traveling the country, hitting elderhostels and bed and breakfasts, and they never let a good archaeological dig go to waste. Nor did they ever drive by and not stop at an antique store — no matter where they were.

They lived in Spokane, Wash., LaGrande, Ore., Hayden Lake, Idaho, and finally settled into their home in Golden Spikes Estates in Rathdrum, Idaho in 2005.

This is where Bruce met the best person in the world. The last 14 years were made a bit better only because of his friendship with neighbor Tim Ryan. After Bruce lost his eyesight to macular degeneration, Tim was kind enough to be the designated driver. They could be found almost every Saturday morning at the Blue Plate in Hayden Lake.

He leaves behind his wife, Voni, with step-children Jolene (George), Mike (Shonda) and Michelle (Greg); his two daughters Holly and Darby; nephews Bob and Will and niece, Linda; and multiple grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to the Hospice House of North Idaho or Union Gospel Mission. A memorial service will be determined at a later date.