Martha Fuchs Ferger

Martha Fuchs Ferger was born on May 26, 1924. She grew up in St. Louis, MO, and attended Swarthmore College where she met John Ferger. They married in 1946, and she earned her Ph.D. in the new field of biochemistry in 1947. Over the next 7 years, their three daughters were born and in 1953 they settled down in Dryden. Dryden was an ideal home for them as John wanted to be a country doctor in a small town, and Martha wanted to pursue her biochemistry career at Cornell. While raising her family, she also served as a bookkeeper for the growing medical practice, as a leader for the local Camp Fire Girls chapter, and as president of the PTA. In 1963 Martha returned to biochemistry (“the most beautiful science” as she called it) at Cornell, first in research labs and later as a lecturer. Martha and John loved outdoor adventures and were delighted in sharing them with others. They canoed on local streams, started downhill skiing before Greek Peak existed, and spent most Sunday afternoons hiking in the woods. They also shared a love of travel. They spent 2 years living in Bethel, Alaska and they led American Friends Service Committee work camps in rural Alaska while their family was still young. After their children were grown, they took trips to Nepal, Turkmenistan, Ethiopia, and several other far-flung destinations, always sharing a slideshow of their adventures with friends and family on their return. Martha had a deep and abiding commitment to human rights, peace, and justice, and to local causes. She and John were war tax resisters, donating the portion of their federal income tax that would have gone to the military to the local Dryden school. She founded and chaired the Unitarian Church’s Social Justice Committee, headed up the Friendship Center in Ithaca, helped found PARKIT (Prevent Alcohol Related Killings in Tompkins), worked to defeat a proposed nuclear power plant on Cayuga Lake, circulated nominating petitions for local and national Democratic candidates in every election, campaigned against fracking in NY State, and, at age 91, got arrested as part of the We Are Seneca Lake campaign to stop natural gas storage under Seneca Lake. Her work was local, collaborative, often unsung, and never-ending. She led by example and was a role model to many. Martha had a strong sense of the weight of the world and empathy for the suffering of others. At the same time, she had a sparkling positivity and saw the joy in everyday things. She would enthuse about how much she loved raking the fall leaves, doing the dishes after a family dinner, and watching birds visit her feeder. She continued to express joy and appreciation even as she aged and her memories failed. Martha died at age 99 on June 24th following a fall and hip fracture. She is survived by Gladys (Mitchell) Howard, Carol (Bill) Klepack, and Kathy Ferger; 6 grandchildren; and 3 great-grandchildren. A memorial service in celebration of her life will be held at the Unitarian Church in Ithaca (corner of Buffalo and Aurora Streets) on August 19th at 2 pm.  Donations in her memory can be made to the Finger Lakes Land Trust, the First Unitarian Society of Ithaca, or to the United Nations High Commission on Refugees. "We would like to thank the staff at Bridges of Cornell Heights for the outstanding care Martha received there, and of Cayuga Medical Center for their exemplary care in her final days. We especially want to thank Dr. Howard Silcoff for his care of Martha over the past many years. His compassion, skilled guidance, and knowledge coupled with judgement will forever be appreciated. And we thank the entire staff of Dryden Family Medicine who provided personal, compassionate care." To share a memory of Martha, please visit www.perkinsfh. com.