William Maurice Ferguson

William “Wild Bill” Maurice Ferguson who was born on January 17, 1942 passed away on April 18, 2018 in Birmingham, Alabama with his only daughter, April Ferguson McDougal, by his side. He was preceded in death by his sons, Scott Eugene Ford and William Kelly Ferguson, his mother, Ruth Bassett Miller, his father, James Ferguson and his brother Jim Ferguson. Bill is survived by daughter, April Ferguson McDougal, (Brian), grandchildren David Estes, Rachel Binford (David), Christian Estes, Rebekah Nordin and great-grandchildren Elora Jane Binford and Brantley Estes., sister Betty Ruth Fell, as well as Shannon Kelly Ferguson. Born in Michigan and raised in Indiana until 13 years of age, Bill headed out to Chicago, first as Mr. Maurice, Hair Stylist, then as a Chef before he made his mark as an entrepreneur in the field of window washing. He moved to Houston, Texas where he started a window washing business called JOBS. He later sold this multi-million-dollar company to his friend of many years, LaRue Coleman. Retiring for the first time at 36 years old on the farm in Huntsville known as April Acres. Being “Wild Bill” tearing up the roads on his Harley wasn’t enough, he was bored, so at this time he chose Dallas, Texas and started another business, April Building Services in 1988. April Building Services is as successful as his other endeavors and led to Bill holding offices for many years in BOMA, A120 Scaffolding Association, American National Standards Institute (ANSI), as well as other professional organizations. Besides riding his Harley, Bill loved the game of tennis to the extent he coached Sam Houston University tennis teams and became a “second” father to those who came from countries outside of the US. In 2008, he retired AGAIN and took up “pickle ball”. Sailing a catamaran was also a favorite pastime and he could often be found taking friends and customers out for a sail. Bill was known for his success in the field of Arabian horses from April Acres. Ironically, Bill did not ride nor did he particularly like horses; however, being anything but the “best” was not in his vocabulary. Bill led a varied and interesting life. With a heart the size of Texas, he used his success to help others, in particular, the Alpha Omega Academy from which his son, Kelly, graduated. His support to the school continued even after the death of Kelly in 2014. Perhaps the most important thing Bill said was two weeks prior to his death, “I’ve lived my life in the fullest. I can honestly say that there isn’t anything I haven’t done that I wanted to do”. Bill Ferguson was nothing if not loyal, consistent and determined – he finished his “bucket list”. Visitation will be Monday April 23rd 5:50pm to 8:00pm at Sam Houston Memorial Funeral Home. Services will be Tuesday April 24th at 11:00am at University Heights Baptist Church with interment to follow at Farris Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to Kelly’s Kitchen @ Alpha Omega Academy, Huntsville, Texas. Full obituary may be viewed and memorial condolences made to the family at www.shmfh.com.

William Maurice Ferguson

January 17, 1942 - April 18, 2018