Linda Joleen (Isernhagen) Ferguson was born February 9th, 1948 in Smith Center, KS to Arnold and Aleen Isernhagen. Linda attended elementary school and junior high in Agra, KS. She attended high school and graduated from Kensington High School in Kensington, KS. That is where she met Jon Ferguson who she married on August 11,1968.
After high school, Linda attended dental assistant school in Emporia, KS. Following her marriage to Jon, they made their home in Manhattan, KS while Jon finished his Engineering degree at Kansas State University.
Following Jon’s graduation from K-State, the couple moved to Boston, MA where Jon attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Linda worked at Dr. Mann’s dental practice. Linda had many stories to tell about her time working in Boston. The best story that she told was how she worked on a man named Rick Otcasek’s teeth. At the time, Rick was the lead singer for a band called Milkwood. He would later change the spelling of his name and become Rick Ocasek, the lead singer for the Cars.
While living in Boston, Jon and Linda enjoyed the many activities the city had to offer. They also traveled throughout New England enjoying the beautiful scenery. Linda loved nature and all things outdoors.
In 1973, Jon and Linda made the decision to move back to Kensington, KS. They made their home north of Kensington, KS for 41 years while Jon worked and ran the family ranch and farm along with his sister and brother-in-law, Janis and Lyn Lee. Linda was every bit the “rancher” that Jon was. Linda cooked many meals for the ranch employees. She helped work cattle, sprayed musk thistle and ran countless ranch errands. In addition to the routine day-to-day ranching Linda did, she also played nurse whenever dad had a ranching accident. If you know anything about Jon’s ranch related injury count, you know that nursing was often a full-time job for Linda.
When Linda wasn’t busy ranching, she was busy being an amazing mother to her two daughters. Emily Brooke Ferguson was born on February 13th, 1975, and Olivia Paige (Ferguson) Rogers was born on January 31st, 1979. As a family, Jon, Linda, Emily and Oliva enjoyed family camping vacations to Colorado and the Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone and Canada. (If you get a chance, ask Jon or Emily how the trip to Canada went.)
Linda was quite the “dance mom” shuttling Emily and Olivia to weekly dance lessons and making sure their costumes, hair and make-up were perfect for recitals. She was always there after each recital with a bouquet of carnations for both girls. Linda’s love and support for her daughters was unconditional and unending.
Love and support was a theme throughout Linda’s life. She was sometimes a second mom to nieces and nephews and Emily’s and Olivia’s closest friends. (Coleen & Jess). Linda had a kind heart and always wanted to help people who might be struggling. This is what led her to become a drug and alcohol counselor during the 1980’s. Linda made a difference by helping patients 1:1. She also sat on the board of the Smoky Hill Foundation in Hays, KS.
Jon and Linda retired from cattle ranching in 2014 and moved to Manhattan, KS where they have many friends and were able to enjoy various social engagements and performing arts events. Few events were ever as important to Linda as K-State football and basketball games. The family has had season tickets to football for many years as well as basketball since they moved to Manhattan. Linda was queen of the tailgate! She loved a good party, and she loved spending time with her family and friends in the parking lot of “The Bill”. Oh, and she liked to watch football and basketball too!
Linda and Jon were dog lovers. Throughout their life together, Linda was the best dog my mom ever to three Basset Hounds (Rufus, Zachary and Ruben) a Shih Tzu (Suchi), two Brittany Spaniels (Ray and Jack), a Springer Spaniel (Sammy) and three soft-coated Wheaten Terriers (Ellie, Rudy and Harry). Linda was also a pretty great dog grandma to Dexter Rogers.
Linda was an avid flower gardener, and she loved to putter around her yard in Manhattan pruning plants and pulling weeds and care for the large fish pond in their front yard. She instilled this love of flowers in both Emily and Olivia. To this day, nothing makes Emily happier than planting flowers in the spring and taking care of them throughout the summer.
In recent years, Jon and Linda enjoyed traveling both with Emily and Oliva and their families and with other family members and friends. Linda loved seeing and experiencing new places. Linda especially loved a tropical location with a beach and a cocktail!
Three years ago Linda and Jon and the family suffered a horrible tragedy with the loss of Oliva to a five year battle with metastatic breast cancer. Jon and Linda were a huge support to each other during the months and years that passed after Olivia’s passing. The way they got through that incredibly difficult time was a testament to their love and support of each other.
Linda passed away on March 5th, 2024 after being diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in 2020. She was preceded in death by her parents, Arnold Isernhagen and Aleen Schalansky and her daughter, Olivia Rogers. Linda is survived by her husband Jon, daughter Emily, Emily’s significant other Toby Bargar, son-in-law Willie Rogers, grandsons Henry and Oscar Rogers, sisters Sharon Elliott (Jim) and Mary Struckhoff (Cory), brother-in-law Donald Ferguson (Signe) and sister-in-law Janis Lee (Lyn), nephews David, Brian (Amy Brooks) and Daniel Lee and nieces Kristine Meyer, Daneen Deam (Chris) and Angiela Meyer (Eddy Krygiel) along with many more family and friends and of course her baby dog Harry.
Memorial services will be held at 10:30 A.M. Monday, March 11th, at the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Chapel with Pastor Devin Wendt officiating. Private family inurnment will be in the Johnson County Memorial Gardens in Overland Park, KS.
Memorials may be made to the Kensington Home Charitable Foundation in Linda’s name and sent in care of the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home, 1616 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, KS 66502.