Anchorage Daily News

Lena Bernadette Ferguson, 55, died March 3, 2009, at Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage.

A funeral will be at 3 p.m. Friday at St. Anthony Catholic Church. A funeral and burial will be held in Chevak early next week.

"Lena was born May 8, 1953, in a fish camp just outside of Chevak to Ulric and Angelina Ulroan -- just after the snow left but just before the mosquitoes came," her family recalled. "She was named Lena Bernadette to satisfy the Western norms, but her ancestral Cup'ik name was Nayamin. She grew up free, a child of the tundra, moving from seasonal camp to seasonal camp as her people had done for countless generations. When convention demanded that she attend school she entered the classroom unable to speak English. Though punished for speaking her Native tongue in school, and despite strict discipline, something attracted her to education. She graduated from St. Mary's Catholic School in 1973.

"Through hard work, perseverance and unflagging support from her parents, she graduated from the University of Alaska Fairbanks with a degree in education. For the next 25 years she proceeded to touch the lives of every child who attended the Chevak School. The bane of mischievous little boys, Lena was a stern figure in the classroom. She believed in the value of education and expected as much of her students as she did of herself.

"In 1986, Lena met and married Harry Ferguson, the luckiest day of his life. So great was her belief in education that she convinced her new husband to take classes. She prodded and poked him through four years and four babies until he too became a teacher at her beloved Chevak School. They raised six children, Ulric and Angelique, both college graduates, Casey and Cody, who attend the University of Alaska Anchorage, and Kash and Conor who still live at home and are in high school.

"No story of Lena could be complete without the mention of her exploits as an athlete and coach. Basketball played a huge part in Lena's life. As a player and a coach she excelled. She was a devoted athletic mentor and pushed her young athletes as hard on the court as she did in the classroom. Over the years, she led her Chevak Comets to the state championships twice with her teams placing second and third.

"Two years ago Lena became ill. Despite the ravages of chemotherapy, fatigue and physical weakness she never missed a practice. She would prop herself up on the stage and somehow her voice, though reduced to almost a whisper, would once again ring with the ferocious competitive spirit that burned inside her. Her players gathered strength and inspiration by her mere presence. Chevak will host this year's regional basketball tournament. Not surprisingly Lena's girls are favored to win, as is the boy's team led by two of her sons. As the season progressed and it became apparent that she was not going to be strong enough to attend the event she turned over the reins to her sister, Mary."

Survivors include Lena's husband, Harry Ferguson; sons, Ulric Ulroan, Casey Ferguson, Cody Ferguson, Kash Ferguson, and Conor Ferguson; and daughter, Angelique Anderson.

As it turned out, Lena will have the best seat in the house after all. She passed quietly away on Tuesday March 3 surrounded by those she loved best, her husband and children.

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