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Obituary: Wayne D. Ferguson, 75, Formerly of Beaver
Falls
Published: October 02, 2026
By: Provided by Iseneker
Funeral Home
Wayne D. Ferguson
 AMSTERDAM/BEAVER FALLS- It is with deep
sadness that we announce the passing of Wayne D. Ferguson, 75, of Dutch
Hollow Lane, Amsterdam, formerly of Beaver Falls. He passed away on
Tuesday afternoon, September 29, 2026 at St.
Mary’s Hospital, Amsterdam.
He is survived by
his beloved wife JoAnn; their children, Leslie (Chris) Rogers, Justin
(Karen) Ferguson, Jordan (Kelcey) Ferguson, Jacob (Pearl) Ferguson;
grandchildren, Jackson Rogers, Samuel Rogers, Olivia Rogers, Anne Ferguson,
Nicolas Ferguson, Elizabeth Ferguson, Penelope Ferguson, Vivian Ferguson,
Eloise Ferguson, Paityn Ferguson, Mackenzie Ferguson, Presley Ferguson,
Cameron Ferguson, Theodore Ferguson; his siblings: Sally Coffman (Tom)
Bowie, Harold (Terri) Ferguson, Bruce (Michelle) Ferguson, Stanley
(Marianne) Ferguson, and Thomas (Phyllis) Ferguson; his in-laws: John
(Judy) Hodkinson, Lory (Bernard) Lee, Chris (Joyce) Hodkinson; several
nieces, nephews and cousins.
Wayne was born in
Carthage, NY, a son of the late Harold E. and Marjorie A. Wisner Ferguson
and graduated from Carthage Central School in 1969. He attended
Ithaca College, where he competed in football and wrestling, finishing with
a degree in physical education. He later proudly earned a Masters
Degree in Physical Education from Cortland University.
He met his wife,
JoAnn, in March of 1974, and they were lovingly married for 52 years this
December.
Wayne loved his
family, God, and community. With a coaching career spanning four decades,
he accumulated an impressive list of awards
and accolades (NNY360 Article). Although he took great pride in his
accomplishments, he never considered them to be his most important
achievements. That top spot has always been held by his children and
grandchildren, with his athletes being a close second.
Coach Ferguson
spent countless hours establishing opportunities for the students of Beaver River Central School. He headed the T-Shirt
Baseball program, founded the New Bremen Wrestling Club, coached PeeWee Wrestling, and numerous sports teams throughout
his career.
With loyalty
being his defining characteristic, he devoted his entire 34
year teaching career to Beaver River Central School. Wayne achieved
over 500 dual meet victories, one Section 3 Tournament Title (2006), one
Section 3 Dual Meet Title (1997), numerous winning streaks (73 straight
victories 1982-1988 and 39 straight victories 1976-1979) and two state
champions (1980,2006). Wayne was inducted into the Carthage Wrestling Hall
of Fame, Section 3 Hall of Fame (2008), National
Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012, the New York Wrestling Hall of Fame (2013) and the North Country Sports Hall of Fame in
2020.
Wayne took joy in
pursuits outside of coaching and sports as well. He was an avid fan
of Theology, James Bond movies, the NY Giants, KLove
radio, blackberry picking and surprisingly
knew his way (somewhat) around the kitchen. Some of his most
requested specialties were: Rice Krispie treats,
peanut butter popcorn, apple crisp, chocolate pudding cake, graham cracker mix, Johnny Cake and pancakes. His life as a
Husband, Father, Papa (grandfather), Coach and Christian will be deeply
missed by the people he valued the most: his family, the Beaver River
Athletic Community and Cornerstone Baptist Church.
A memorial service will be at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday October 10, 2026 at Croghan Mennonite Church. Burial in
Naumburg Union Cemetery will be held privately by the family. Calling
hours are from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, October 9, 2026 at Iseneker Funeral Home,
Inc. 5702 Waters Road, Lowville. In lieu of flowers, contributions
may be made in Wayne’s name to Gideons International, P.O. Box 418,
Lowville, NY 13367 or Cornerstone Baptist Church, 10474 State Route 126,
Carthage, NY 13619, or Beaver River Youth Wrestling Club, in C/O Jon
Walseman, 9660 Second Road, Castorland, NY 13620.
Condolences may
be made online at www.isenekerfuneralhome.com.
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