Obituary for Roger Jay Ferris
Roger Jay Ferris
Circleville, NY
Roger Jay Ferris, a land surveyor and engineer, died on Friday, June 25, 2010 at home with his family by his side. He was 56.
The son of Vivian Casterlin and John Ferris, he was born on October 6, 1953 in Goshen, N.Y. A lifetime resident of the area, Roger graduated from Minisink Valley High School in 1971 where he was a member of the Varsity Basketball team. He studied engineering and surveying at Alfred University; after college, he started his own business, Roger Jay Ferris Engineering serving many municipalities as well as private clients. In 2002, Roger Married Elizabeth "Betsy" Gowen in Warwick. His great enjoyment throughout his life was the great outdoors- whether hunting, fishing, or just enjoying the sunrise in the woods as a quiet and respectful spectator. In the last eight years, he looked forward to a summer trip to the Maine coast, content to watch the lobster boats coming and going, listening to the sea sounds of gulls and osprey, and enjoying the seafood.
In his professional life, he was a longtime member of the NYS Association of Land Surveyors. He was instrumental in the development of large tracts of Orange County farmland; farmers who had watched Roger grow up would come to him for advice. They could trust him to subdivide their land in the most responsible, respectful way. His survey markers, on countless properties in Orange County, will remain a testament to his influence for many years.
As a mentor, he was generous with his knowledge, always willing to share with beginners in the field, influencing, with his help, many others who continued in the profession he knew and loved.
In addition to his loving wife, Betsy at home; Roger is survived by his son Mark and his wife Shannon of Hawaii; his stepdaughter, Grace E. Arezzo of Circleville; one brother, John Wesley Ferris, Jr. and his wife Nancy of Goshen; one sister, Florence "Flossy" Otis and her husband Donald of New Paltz. He was expecting his first grandchild this year.
The family will receive friends on Thursday, July 1, 2010 from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 pm at Applebee-McPhillips Funeral Home, Inc., 130 Highland Avenue, Middletown, NY 10940. A Memorial Service will be held at 10:30 am on Friday, July 2, 2010 at the funeral home. Cremation was private at Cedar Hill Crematory.
Roger’s family wishes to thank his doctors, Charles Strober and Manuel Perry, MD for their excellent treatment and to Hospice of Orange and Sullivan Counties-especially his nurses Dawn and Mary, for their extraordinarily compassionate care and support of both Roger and his family.
Memorial contributions may be made to either the Orange County Land Trust, P.O. Box 2442, Middletown, NY 10940, www.oclt.org or to Hospice of Orange and Sullivan Counties, 800 Stony Brook Court, Newburgh, NY 12550.
Funeral arrangements under the direction of Applebee-McPhillips Funeral Home, Inc.
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