Obituary of Della Mae Ferguson

Della Mae Staten was born on May 15, 1946, in Lake Alfred, Polk County Florida to the late Reverend Shedrick Staten, Jr. and Marguerite Brown-Staten. Della was the 4th oldest of 11 children.

Della began her education at Gideon Edward Elementary school, Vaux Junior High School, she applied for Girls High School and was accepted. However she told her parents that she spoke to a few of her teachers who suggested she attend William Penn High School for Girls. More scholarships were available for an academic minded student. Della graduated from William Penn High School, an honor student with straight A's in all of her subjects. Della‘s love for education did not stop here, she received her first associate degree from the Community College of Philadelphia, then she went on to obtain another associate degree in business administration from the Community College of North Florida. The entire family was very proud of her when she obtained her bachelor's degree from an HBCU, Florida Agricultural, Mechanical University (FAMU) in special education. Both of her parents were here to be a part of this accomplishment. Della was working on her master's degree in special education.

Della was a very independent woman; her first job was at the Philadelphia Bell Telephone company. As her family grew, she pursued better opportunities for upward mobility, she worked for the Social Security Administration in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Internal Revenue Service in Philadelphia and finally, an awesome Special Education teacher to young people who were not able to attend public or private schools in Madison County Florida.

Growing up as a P.K. “Preacher's Kid” Della was active in the FBH church, in Florida and Mount Hermon FBH Church in Philadelphia where her father, Reverend Shedrick Staten, Jr. was her pastor and her mother, Mrs. Marguerite Staten was her First Lady.

Della was a very stylish, classy, and sophisticated lady, who loved her family, children, and friends. There was nothing that she wouldn't do for them, she would give her last to make others feel cherished and loved.

Della was preceded in death by her parents, Reverend Shedrick Staten, Jr. and Marguerite Brown-Staten, Maternal Grandmother, Bertha Brown-Ryan, her husband's Rudy North, Sr. and Robert Charles Ferguson, Sr. her brothers, Samuel Staten, Sr. Shedrick Staten II, Shedrick Staten III, Jerry Leon Staten, Timothy Staten and her sister, Della Staten, who she was named after.

On October 17, 2024, Della was surrounded by her children when she got called home to be with her Lord and Savior.. She leaves to carry on her legacy, her loving brothers Earl Eugene, Sr.(Joyce) Staten, Louis Staten, Bobby Leo Staten and two loving sisters Shirley (Theodore) Goins and Rosemary Staten, the loves of her life, her children Lorenzo (Tanya) North, Melissa (Curtis) Gunn, Wanda (George) Thomas, Rudy ( Tahira) North-Bey, Kimberly (Reginald) Conner, Charmaine (Michael, Sr.) Ferguson-Lee, Robert Clifton Ferguson and the baby of the bunch, Charles Reginald Ferguson, 23 grandchildren and 14 and counting great-grandchildren along with a host of nieces, nephews and cousins.