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OBITUARY

Griffin Charles Ferguson

March 3, 1998 – May 26, 2022

Griffin Charles Ferguson, fondly referred to as “Griff,” passed away on May 26, 2022 in Lyons, CO in a motorcycle accident. He was a beloved son, brother, friend, protector and professional firefighter dedicated to serving his community.

Griffin was born March 3, 1998 in Boulder, CO. He was raised in Lyons where he attended elementary and middle school. There he gravitated towards sports, playing basketball, soccer and football. Griffin went on to play varsity basketball and lacrosse at Boulder High School, where he graduated in 2016.

He matriculated to Colorado State University in Fort Collins, and earned a B.S. in natural resources and recreational tourism. Griffin became an Emergency Medical Technician during his senior year of college and started training with the Lyons Fire Protection District. He joined the department as a full-time firefighter in 2020.

Griffin had a special affinity and love for animals of all kinds. As a child he could often be found cuddling and caring for cats, dogs, chickens, and any critter that seemed in need of a helping hand. Later in life, Griffin worked at the Planet Bluegrass Farm, caring for the horses, alpaca, and ducks that made their home there. He was inseparable from his hunting dog and best friend Ranger whom he trained diligently.

Through his passion for hunting and dedication to conservation, Griffin sought the silence and tranquility of places people seldom traveled: the remote bush of Alaska, the idyllic sandhills of Nebraska, and the peaceful blue waters of Dome Lake in Wyoming. These landscapes shaped him from boyhood, and left a lasting impact that he carried with him through his life.

Griffin loved fiercely, intensely, and without question. He was quick with a quip, swift to support his family and friends, and even faster with his request that you please rub his back since you’re already sitting right there. We were lucky to have him and love him. He will be sorely missed. Griffin is survived by his father Craig Ferguson, mother Sally Truitt and sister Early Ferguson; aunts Julie Ferguson, Kendall Barrett, Lindsey Truitt, and Elly Truitt, uncle Jon Eaton, grandmothers Susanne Page and Barbara Ferguson, and an abundance of cousins. Donations in his memory may be made to the Lyons Fire Protection District.

Lost is a place too

Editor’s note: This message was delivered by Paula Stone Williams at a dinner event at the Farmette. Williams is a Lyons Town Board Trustee.

By Paula Stone Williams Redstone Review

LYONS – It is good to be with you this evening as we celebrate the beginning of a project that is important to our town, our new hotel. But it is hard to be excited because our hearts are heavy. We are struggling. The tragic death of Griffin Ferguson last week in an accident on Highway 36 was devastating to our town. Our hearts are with Craig and Sally, Griffin’s parents, and with the members of the Lyons Fire Protection District as they mourn the loss of one of their own.

We are all weary. There is too much suffering in the world. Uvalde, Buffalo, Ukraine – it’s all too much. When I heard of Griffin’s passing, I found myself repeating over and again the first half of a David Whyte poem I memorized a long time ago, Sweet Darkness:

When your eyes are tired, the world is tired also When your vision has gone No part of the world can find you Time to go into the dark Where the night has eyes to recognize its own There you can be sure you are not beyond love The dark will be your home tonight The night will give you a horizon further than you can see…

It was this line that kept standing out: There you can be sure you are not beyond love.

There is too much pain in the world. Sometimes we wonder how much more we can take. The truth is that we are lost. In the midst of all of this suffering, I am lost, profoundly lost. But here’s the thing. Lost, well, lost is a place too.

That’s right – lost is a place too. There are truths you can learn in the place called lost you cannot learn any other way. There is a certain wisdom you can only gain in the place called lost, a patient hope that develops, an understanding that informs. If you are willing to abide in the place called lost, you can learn to love a little more deeply, care a little more compassionately, and gain a humility that serves you and others well. This is when we must dig deep, find hope, and trust that in the end, love wins.

May we use this time to settle into the depths of our hearts as we show compassion to those who are struggling so.

Bella This beautiful 4-and-a-half-year-old girl has such a sweet, sweet soul. Her nickname is Bella Beans. Her favorite things are giving kisses, being a couch potato, and getting tucked in at night. She is always up for an adventure, and will enjoy a daily pup cup with you. She loves playing with toys, and stuffed toys are her absolute favorite. She will do best in a home with older children where she can shine as the only pet. If you’re looking for your next furever friend, come and visit Bella today. For more information visit our website www.longmonthumane.org, or give us a call at 303-772-1232.

More than 200 animals are waiting for forever families at Longmont Humane Society. Visit them at www.longmonthumane.org, and then come meet them at the shelter at 9595 Nelson Road. The peace of wild things

By Wendell Berry When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Eagle carving in aspen tree near Lumber Liquors

When the aspen tree outside of Lumber Liquors started to die, owner Matthew Pearce decided to preserve the tree by asking wood carving artist, Bongo Love, originally from Zimbabwe, Africa, to carve the tree as a tribute for Lyons friend and fire fighter, Griffin Ferguson, who died on May 26 in a motorcycle accident. Love carved an American Eagle in the tree which Pearce said is also a tribute to all Boulder County fire fighters. You can see the sculpture as your drive east from Lyons on Broadway. The location is 303 Main Street.

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