Michael passed away at his home in Montreal on September 14, 2023. He was loved by his daughter Margaret (Peggy) Ferguson and sisters Judy Gaspar (John) and Joanne Crean (Laszlo Gartner). Uncle Mike was admired and respected by nieces and nephews from Ontario, Nova Scotia and West Virginia. He will also be missed by his neighbours of 45 years in Notre-Dame-de-Grace in Montréal, and the wider international electrical engineering community. Mike was predeceased by his wife Virginia in January, 2007.
Mike was an excellent academician, graduating early from high school with a scholarship to University of Toronto, and winning teaching fellowships at CalTech for his masters and Stanford for his PHD in Electrical Engineering. One of his early accomplishments was integrating the Aloha Net to the DARPAnet, thus creating the “first” Internet.
Mike spent his life as a professor and a research scientist, and his best moments travelling and wild-camping with his bicycle across the world, as chronicled in person to the great delight of his friends and online at ferguson-by-bicycle.com.
He was truly unique, and would rather be remembered with wry affection, and donations can be made to the Old Brewery Mission in Montreal in lieu of flowers.
A funeral service will take place at St Thomas Anglican Church at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 4th, 2023.
