Daryl Emerick Ferguson

Daryl Emerick Ferguson, of San Diego, died on August 5, one day after her 94th birthday. She is survived by daughters Andrea Ferguson and Holly Rio (Christopher); grandchildren Tony Leach (Linda Leung), Jamie Leach, Andrew Rio and Melanie Rio; and great grandchildren Calvin Leach and Cory Leach.

Born in August, 1931 in Los Angeles, California, to Arthur Alfred (Billy) Emerick, a gifted pianist, and Norene Ennis, an equally gifted school teacher, Daryl was the elder of two children; her beloved brother, Barry Emerick (Pat), is now deceased. Daryl graduated from San Diego High School in 1949, earning a California Scholarship Federation award, which paid for her first year at USC, where she was one of only a few women in her class in the International Relations undergraduate program. She earned her BA in 1953 with stellar academic performance.

After graduation, Daryl married Donald Ferguson, a fellow student in the USC School of International Relations. She returned to school in 1954 after a Ford Foundation grant became available to pay her tuition to become a teacher. In her first year of teaching, she recalled having 56 second graders in her classroom who did not know how to read. She persevered through her first year and this was the beginning of a teaching career that would take many forms in the years to come.

In 1956, Don began his 30-year career with the US Dept. of State, serving in Colombia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Thailand, in addition to several tours of duty in Washington DC. Apart from Vietnam, Daryl accompanied Don to all these places, where she gamely joined him in learning Mandarin and assisted him in carrying out his diplomatic social duties, while teaching here and there when opportunities arose. During Don’s two-year assignment in Saigon, she stayed in Hong Kong amid the turbulent years of Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution, managing the family and volunteering with an organization that provided aid to the many refugees arriving from China.

Throughout their years abroad, the two developed a mutual interest in classical music, opera, community theatre and bridge, making lifelong friends in each new post.

Upon returning to the US in 1975, Daryl began her ten-year career in public affairs, working at the American Council on Education in Washington DC, where she put skills learned in the Foreign Service to good use in planning national conferences for college and university presidents.

Don retired from the Foreign Service in 1986 and they moved to Vista, California, to a house in the hills with a swimming pool and a small avocado grove, which provided hours of fun with their much-loved grandchildren. While Don tended the grove, Daryl worked on projects with the Trojan League of USC and San Diego High School – her alma maters.

In 1992, she helped establish the San Diego High School Foundation to develop funding sources for the school and to encourage and enable alumni, parents and friends to support the staff and students. Since its inception, donors have provided nearly $5 million for student program support and scholarships, making a difference in the lives of all SDHS students. Daryl once said that this was the work she was most proud of in her life. Her mother, who became Norene Batchelder after a divorce and second marriage to Clark Batchelder, had taught speech and debate at San Diego High for 20 years, training many students who later became lawyers and judges. Daryl wanted to honor her mother by creating a lasting legacy of empowering students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds through educational opportunities.

Daryl had many great memories of her time at San Diego High. She had a close-knit group of smart friends in drama and Job’s Daughters, and stayed in touch with them throughout her life, despite the miles that separated them for years at a time.

The Fergusons moved to San Diego in 1996 to a house out on Point Loma, where they had a beautiful view of the San Diego harbor. Travel to England, Italy and other places and friends and family occupied their spare time. Over the next few years, Daryl co-wrote a book entitled Creating Foundations for American Schools, together with Dan H. McCormick and David G. Bauer, which was published in 2001.

After Don passed away in 2008, Daryl joined All Souls Episcopal Church, where she became involved in various ministries and served on the finance committee during a building campaign. She also joined the Saint Paul’s Senior Services Foundation board and the Rotary Club, each of which provided regular opportunities for community service, meaningful friendships and lifelong learning. She was deeply concerned about providing dignified care for the elderly of San Diego, particularly those with limited resources.

Some years later, Daryl downsized to an apartment in Bankers Hill, where she continued to live a very full life until vision challenges took driving off the table and other health issues gradually required her to slow down. She was greatly blessed by her wonderful group of close friends who kept her company, brought her to church, to the grocery store, to meetings and theatre and opera productions, and helped her with anything she could no longer do for herself. She started a bridge group, which met every Wednesday at her apartment and spent her evenings watching Chinese and Korean television, while knitting hats and scarves for San Diego’s homeless. In her early nineties, she helped initiate the launch of a Rotary-sponsored Interact Club at San Diego High dedicated to developing leadership skills, personal integrity, and international understanding through service projects.

We are ever grateful for the selfless people whose friendship and support allowed Daryl to continue living independently and purposefully for as long as possible, and for her compassionate doctors who provided her with excellent treatment when it was needed.

In the fall of 2024, as her health declined further, Daryl made a final move to Stellar Care in San Diego, where she stayed for about six months before slipping away peacefully in the company of family members two days after celebrating her birthday with her granddaughters.

A service and a celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, September 13, at 2:00 p.m. at All Souls Episcopal Church, 1475 Catalina Blvd., San Diego, CA 92107. According to her wishes, the family has requested donations in lieu of flowers to All Souls Episcopal Church: https://www.allsoulspointloma.org/online-giving