John Ferguson

John Ferguson, 85, Springfield, Mo., formerly of Marquette, passed away on Monday, March 9, 2026, at Castlewood Senior Living in Nixa, Mo. 
A Memorial Service will be held 10 a.m., Saturday, March 21st at United Methodist Church in Aurora. Rev. Michelle Reed will officiate. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Methodist Church. Inurnment for John and Marlene will follow the service in the Aurora Cemetery. Higby-McQuiston Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Memorials should be made to Marquette Volunteer Fire & Rescue, P.O. Box 54, Marquette, NE 68854. Condolences may be sent to the family through the mortuary website at www.higbymortuary.com.
John Ferguson, the son of Donald and Gustie (Hehnke) Ferguson was born at Aurora on Feb. 8, 1941, and passed away at Nixa, Mo. on March 9, 2026, at the age of 85. 
John grew up in Marquette and graduated from Marquette High School in 1958. He went to Midland College and finished his bachelor’s degree at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. John lived a short time in California prior to joining the United States Army in 1963. He was discharged in 1964 after the death of his father. John returned home to Marquette and took over the First National Bank of Marquette and helped care for his mother and younger sisters. 
John married Marlene Snyder on June 5, 1966, at the First Christian Church in Kearney. He continued to work at the bank and eventually became President of the bank. He retired from the bank in 2014. He made many friends in the community and business over the years. They moved to Lincoln after his retirement and lived there for eight years before moving to Springfield, Mo. in August of 2022. Marlene passed away on April 2, 2024. 
John was involved in multiple organizations in the community over the years. He served on the Marquette Village Board, served 40 years with the Marquette Volunteer Fire Department, and the Marquette Alumni Association. He served multiple years on the Aurora Memorial Hospital Board. He was active in the United Methodist Church of Marquette, Aurora and later at Trinity United Methodist Church in Lincoln. He enjoyed singing in the choir, teaching Sunday School, serving with the United Methodist Men and helping on the Finance Committee and Board of Trustees. He spent many years coaching Little League Baseball teams and Girls’ softball teams in Marquette. He was also a member of the Masonic Lodge in Aurora, serving as secretary for many years. After his move to Lincoln, he served with the TeamMates Mentoring program. 
He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife, Marlene. 
Those left to cherish his memory are his 3 daughters, Lisa Ferguson of Tampa, Fla., Catherine (Kevin) Wilbur of Nixa, Mo. and Sally (Travis) Schroer of Hallam; 5 grandchildren, Justin (Johnna) Happold, Julie (Sam) Wiedel, Jaclyn (Derek) Stinson, Tyson Schroer and Janessa Schroer and 6 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother, Todd (Gwen) Ferguson of Tustin, Calif. and sisters, Ann (Jim) Richhart of Georgia and Jane (Roger) Berg of Lincoln; sister-in-law, Lois Snyder of Parker, Colo. and many other family members and friends.