John William Ferrell, 88, of McPherson, KS, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, February 27, 2019, surrounded by family at McPherson Hospital. He was an educator and administrator at Central Christian College, McPherson.
He served in the United States Navy during the Korean War Era.
John was a member of the McPherson Free Methodist Church where he was chairman for the Finance Committee and the Facilities Planning Committee. He was past president of the McPherson Rotary Club, director and founding board member of the McPherson Scottish Festival and co-founder of the Highland Games, chairman of the board at McPherson Family Life Center, served on the board of Oakdale Christian Academy in Jackson, KY, and served on the board of directors at The Cedars. He was the “Hometown Hero” in 2002 by McPherson County United Way and McPherson Chamber of Commerce.
I spent many years with John planning the Festival as the Clan Chairman under his leadership. He was very meticulous, and required perfection in how the festival was organized. He put together an outstanding team of up to 14 team leaders and managed up to one hundred volunteers to put on the festival. He and my father ,”Webb Clark”, were founding board members of the festival. John was also my neighbor living a few houses down the street, so we also became close friends. When he retired from the festival after 15 years of service, he mentored me to takeover the Chairmanship. It was always a pleasure and the great quality of the festival was due to his leadership. John will be missed as a friend and Scott.