Joy Lee Ferguson

Joy Lee Ferguson, 69, passed away Jan. 11,2010 at her husband Robert Ferguson's house in Cement City, Mich.

She was born Feb. 28,1939, as Joy Lee Van Der Aarde to Elmer and Gretchen Van Der Aarde of Milford with her Brother Robert Van Der Aarde. The family suffered from hereditary diabetes and preceded her death as Joyce was the last survivor of the Van Der Aarde family.

Joy Graduated in 1957 from Spencer High School. In 1969 she adopted Tim Schlicht in California and returned to Spencer. She married Larry Schlicht in 1973 in Spencer at the Congregational Church where she was a pianist. They then moved to Nevada, Iowa, for two years while Larry Schlicht went to ISU to receive his engineering degree. They lived in Sac City from 1975 to 1984 and adopted Erik Shane Schlicht in 1978. In Sac City Joy was Controller of Noble Manufacturing, a Division of Lear Sigler. She also served on the Sac City City Council and was a CPA.

Joy and Larry Schlicht lived in Doran, Minn. from 1984 to 1989 where she invented Toy Tractor Snow Chains under the name Craftsmanship Unlimited. In 1989, they moved to Oxford, Mich., to reside to 1993.

Joy married Robert Ferguson in 1997 and lived the remainder of her life with him in Cement City, Mich. All her life she loved to cook and it was during these years she created the Diabetic cookbook 'Living with Diabetes' for the Interlakes Lions club which was well received. The book went on to be the first Diabetic cookbook published in Braille and is registered in the Library of Congress. She was active in the local community Lions Club, churches and flea markets.

She is survived by Robert Ferguson of Cement City, Mich., Larry Schlicht of Omaha, Neb., and sons Tim Schlicht of Van Nuys, Calif. and Erik Schlicht of Sac City.

Brown Van-Hemert Funeral home is in charge of arrangements.