Mary Louise Farguson

Mary McKenzie was the fifth child of eight children who grew up in Pawnee, Oklahoma, where she caught the eye of Dick Farguson, the young man who owned the gas station. She followed him to California to marry in 1939.

She worked as a bookkeeper while he drove long-haul trucks. After shipbuilding work during World War II, he founded and ran Dick's Body Shop in Long Beach, and she applied her bookkeeping skills to his business as well as to her own job.

Mary made a commitment to Jesus Christ as an adult, and Dick soon joined her in faith. The two of them served in a variety of roles for many years at Bethany Baptist Church (now Bethany Church) in Long Beach and as founding members of Bethel Grace Baptist Church in Bellflower, including trustee and Sunday School bus driver for him and 9th grade girls Sunday School teacher and Bethany School board chairperson for her.

Unable to have children of their own, they adopted Kathy in 1951 and Jon in 1955, and Mary became a dedicated and supportive stay-at-home mom, fitting in the shop bookwork at night and one afternoon a week. One of her Sunday School students, Judy Petersen, joined the family as a foster daughter in the mid-1960s.

Mary and Dick were very happily married for 65 years until his passing in 2004. She remained active at church until age restricted her involvement. In her later years, she thoroughly enjoyed her seven grandchildren, a large brood of great-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.

A bout with pneumonia and heart issues in late November weakened Mary physically and she was being cared for at home by family when she quietly slipped away in the early morning of December 29 to be with the God she dearly loved and served.

Arrangements are under the direction of Forest Lawn, Long Beach, California. Viewing and family visitation will be held Wednesday, January 4 from 3 to 7 p.m. at Forest Lawn, 1500 E. San Antonio Dr, Long Beach, CA 90807. Following a private graveside service, a memorial celebration and reception will be held Thursday, January 5 at 1 p.m. at Bethel Grace Baptist Church, 17909 Carpintero, Bellflower, CA 90706.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Mary's honor to one of the following:

* Robbyn Booker, missionary to the North Africa/Middle East Region through Reach Beyond, https://reachbeyond.org/missionaries/read/robbyn-booker.
Robbyn is following in the missions tradition of her parents, long-time family friends Leonard and Imogene Booker, whose work was supported prayerfully and financially by the Fargusons for many years.

* Kingdom Causes Bellflower, https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/KingdomCausesBellflower/OnlineDonation.html
Mary's grandson Preston Nesper is board president, and the organization's vision is to see the local community transformed as God's people live out the Great Commission there. Causes include homelessness, community engagement, and development areas of employment, neighborhoods, and leadership.