Teresa Ferguson

Teresa Lane Ferguson of Athens, Louisiana passed away on the morning of May 25, 2026, after a

recent decline in health. Teri is proceeded in death by her parents, “Buck” Cardwell and Billie Sue

Lenard Cardwell of Claiborne Parish, her brothers, Richard “Wade” Cardwell and Kennith “David”

Cardwell, of Athens, and baby sister Susie Cardwell. She is survived by her husband Keith Ferguson,

children Bryan, Bonnie and Blair, and grandchildren Mackenzie, Madelyne, Maddox, Mallory,

Meridith, Maverick, and baby Walker (Bryan) and grandsons Gabriel Seaman and Atlas Seaman

(Bonnie).

Teri began life as the first daughter of an agricultural student and a beautifully resourceful

Southern mother. Eventually, Buck’s career landed his family in Silver Springs, Maryland, as he

worked in nearby Washington, D.C. in the Agricultural Department under President Ford. It was here

that Teri attended high school and excelled at performing arts. She and her mother participated in

numerous community theater productions, acting while learning costuming and make up. Later, she

would attend North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. It was here that her passion for

performing was further cultivated. Unfortunately, before she was scooped up as Goldie Hawn’s

brunette twin, the first signs of illness began to steal her energy for professional theater.

Despite setbacks and determined to live a creative life following her passions, Teri enrolled in

beauty school. Soon after graduation, the Cardwell’s all came back to Louisiana, where Teri opened a

small beauty shop in Athens, where she was loved by her clients. Through mutual family friends, Keith

and Teresa met and married by 1981. They eventually chose to raise their family in Athens.

Teri never stopped being a creative wild woman, in the late 80’s and 90s she wrote and

performed a traveling puppet show, entertaining thousands of children as the unforgettable “Dusty

Feathers.” She was an artist, whether it was performing the lead in community theater productions of

“The Lady in the Van” or learning to paint wild flowers while waiting on the kids school bus. She also

loved exploring vegan cooking, she spent many hours making new recipes to the delight of her family.

Teri first learned about the Seventh Day Adventist Church when she was twelve years old, and

throughout her life the doctrines and teachings guided her through many hardships. She found comfort

in the belief that after death, a person peacefully sleeps until the coming of Christ. After such a long life

of chronic illness, she is resting now

Keith and Teresa were married 45 years in March, 2026, and together they raised a family of

brilliant children and grandchildren, a life together which in itself is a beautiful work of a