Martin Carl Fergus

Martin Carl Fergus, 83, of Crystal, Minnesota, passed away on April 20th at home, after a short battle with cancer. Saturday, May 23, there will be a Visitation at 10 a.m. and Funeral Service at 11:00 a.m., with luncheon to follow, at Valley of Peace Lutheran Church, 4735 Bassett Creek Dr., Golden Valley. The graveside service will be held in July in Michigan. Martin "Marty" Fergus was born in Columbus, Ohio, to Carl and Hilda Fergus on January 8, 1943. He loved summer trips to the family cabin in Michigan, fishing, building model ships, watching classic movies, and reading. He married the love of his life, Dorothy "Dottie" Koenig, on June 16, 1965, after they dated for eight years. They met in the back seat of Marty's mom's car on the way to confirmation class when Marty was 13, and Dottie was 12. Their love story carried them through 60 years of marriage and four children. After Marty finished his undergraduate degree at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, he continued his education at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he earned his PhD in political science. He then began his 37-year teaching career as a professor of political science at Fordham University, Bronx, New York. During his time at Fordham, Marty was involved in the founding and then led the Peace and Justice Studies program. Marty and Dottie raised their four children in Westchester County, New York, where they became active members of their community and of Dobbs Ferry Lutheran Church. Marty served on the school board for the Elmsford school district for several terms. At their church, Marty taught Sunday school, served on the church council, was active in the Men's Breakfast group, and spearheaded letter-writing campaigns to congress as part of Bread for the World, an advocacy group that seeks to address hunger throughout the world. Working to address food injustice was a passion for Marty, and he made it his lifelong work, lobbying in Washington DC for programs that dealt with hunger, and sharing his knowledge of and fervor for the subject with church and community groups. Marty and Dottie eventually retired to Minnesota to be nearer to their four children and their families. They became active members of Calvary Lutheran Church in Edina, and later Valley of Peace Lutheran Church in Golden Valley. Marty never stopped advocating for people experiencing poverty. As his son Pete summarized, Marty was "a loving, kind, compassionate, patient, generous person in a world that desperately needs more of them. He spent his life educating the young and advocating for the poor and hungry. He raised four kids who will always love him and are incredibly grateful for all he gave us." Marty was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Dave, and his sister Carolyn. Marty is survived by his loving wife Dottie; his children: Dan (Julie) Fergus, Kathy (Thor) Anderson, Rebekah Fergus (Lee Howard), and Pete Fergus (Jennifer Weglarz); his grandchildren: Rachel Fergus, Eliana (Jack) Nordell, Ellie Anderson, Eiledon Moir, Gavin Moir, and Tim Anderson; his great-grandchildren: Ronan Nordell, and Parker Nordell; his brother: Jim (Cheryl) Fergus; and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, and friends. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to Valley of Peace Lutheran Church (https://secure.myvanco.com/L-ZBBG/campaign/C-11FD3) or Bread for the World (https://www.bread.org/give/).

Martin Carl Fergus

January 8, 1943 - April 20, 2026

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