Helen Phillips Ferguson passed away peacefully Friday, May 28, 2004, at Lake Prince Center.

Born on April 1, 1922, in Salisbury, Md., she was the daughter of the late Henry Lay Phillips and Lydia Grier Phillips.

She was predeceased by her husband of 53 years, Edwin Carl Ferguson Jr.

&uot;Mimi,&uot; as she was known by her family, is survived by her four children, Gail F. Pruden, and her husband, Thomas E. Pruden Jr., C. Phillips Ferguson, and his wife, Cynthia S. Ferguson, E. Grier Ferguson, and his wife, Nancy K. Ferguson, all of Suffolk; and Lydia F. Byrum, and her husband, Alfred E. Byrum, of Nags Head, N.C.; nine grandchildren, Grier Hefti, Jay Stotlar, and his wife, Brooke, Scott Ferguson, and his wife, Jan, Rob Ferguson, Brett Ferguson, Kelly Grier Ferguson, Lex Ferguson, Todd Byrum, and Will Byrum; three great-grandchildren, Jay Hefti, Adam Hefti and Dayne Stotlar; her brother, H. Lay Phillips Jr., and his wife, Ann W. Phillips, of Salisbury, Md.; and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Mrs. Ferguson attended Baldwin School for Girls, and was a graduate of Mount Vernon Junior College in Washington, D.C. As a young woman she was an accomplished equestrian. Throughout her life she possessed a love of athletics and a competitive spirit. She enjoyed her involvement in the community and served in leadership roles in many organizations including the Junior Volunteer Service Corps, the Westover Garden Club, of which she was a charter member, the Tuesday Afternoon Book Club, the Suffolk Women’s Golf Association, and Suffolk Tennis Association, and Suffolk Public Schools Parent-Teacher Association. She served on the Suffolk Recreation Advisory Board and was a member of the German Club and Jolly Girls.

Mrs. Ferguson was a devoted member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, in which she served on the Vestry and chaired the Altar Guild. She took special pride in keeping the lectern eagle polished to perfection.

The family will receive friends from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday in Randolph Hall at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, where the funeral will be conducted at 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 1, with the Rev. Ben Duffy officiating. Burial will follow the service at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to the Altar Guild of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 213 Main St., Suffolk, VA 23434, or the Nansemond-Suffolk Rescue Squad at P.O. Box 1515, Suffolk, VA 23439.

Parr Funeral Home is handling arrangements.