Ethel Margaret Morgan

Ethel was born at home Oct. 10, 1937, near Custer, South Dakota, and was the third of seven children of Edward and Lila Ferguson. She and her six brothers and sisters grew up on a ranch in Ridge, Montana, where there were no paved roads, no electricity, and no indoor plumbing. They rode their horses several miles to school every day. She told many stories of their escapades and carried for decades a scar on her face from a sledding accident where she slid under a barbed wire fence. Stories abound of when the kids had to survive on their own after being separated from their parents for several weeks by The Blizzard of 1949, one of the worst on record. They managed to save both themselves and most of the livestock. They were left motherless for more than two years when their mother was severely burned while lighting an oven.

Ethel attended high school in Montana and Wyoming, finishing in Broadus, Montana. She waitressed in Montana for a time and that is where she met L. B. Morgan of Texas who was there working as a roughneck on an oil rig. They married in 1956 and had two children, Cindy in 1958 and Dennis in 1961. Though they divorced in 1996 after 40 years of marriage, she later served as his caretaker following a major stroke and cared for him until he died in 2013. In 2016, her beloved son Dennis died of lung cancer, and she never recovered from the bottomless grief of losing an adult child.

Ethel loved animals and always had an assortment of dogs, cats, goats, chickens, cows, and horses. She had a remedy for almost every animal ailment and knew how to pick the right cows and bulls at an auction. Although Montana born, she acquired a Texas drawl and her pecan pie could rival any Southern cook’s.

She adored her grandchildren and helped care for them when they were growing up. In later years, she spent many happy hours talking on the phone to her brothers and sisters who all lived in cold northern states from Alaska to Colorado. She and her brother Cap “watched” Cowboys football games on the phone together and provided play-by-play commentary. She looked forward to the South Dakota reunions of her northern relatives and especially enjoyed a good game of cribbage and reminiscing about their childhood on the ranch. She was a devoted friend and cherished the company of many lifelong friendships.

Ethel Ferguson Morgan was preceded in death by her parents Edward and Lila Ferguson, son Dennis Morgan, brother Edward Ferguson, sister Mary Simmons, and infant sister Thelma Ferguson. She is survived by her daughter Cindy Antolik and husband Richard, brother George (Cap) and wife Judy, sisters Cora Miller, Blanche Cox, and Luella Peterson and husband Irvin, grandchildren Nathan Ruiz, Ava Antolik, Justin Morgan, and Samantha Hudson and husband Jayme, and great-grandchildren Jayme Hudson and Skyla Morgan. She touched the lives of many other extended family members and friends who will remember her loving kindnesses.

A graveside service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, at the family cemetery in Cisco, Texas.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.johnsons-funeralhome.com for the Morgan family.