Debra Ferguson Swandal

Debra Ferguson Swandal passed away at the age of 70 on July 20, 2024. She was born on August 4, 1953 to Bill and Judy Ferguson in Coos Bay, Oregon. She spent her early years in the Coos Bay area, before her parents eventually settled in Grants Pass, Oregon, where Debra graduated from high school in 1971.

Her life changed in 1972, when she was attending the University of South Florida as an exchange student from the University of Oregon. Her advisor introduced her to Nels—an exchange student from Montana—mainly because he had a car and she needed a ride to a social event. After Nels and Debra’s first date at a putt-putt course, Debra proposed to Nels. Nels accepted 7 years later, after Debra graduated from nursing school from the University of Alaska, and they married on August 12, 1979. They spent the first three years of their marriage in Seaside, California, where Nels was on active duty with the US Army, and Debra worked as a nurse. 

In 1982, Debra and her family moved to Livingston, where she began a 35-year career as a Registered Nurse at Livingston Memorial Hospital, mostly working in the operating and recovery rooms. While Debra becoming a nurse was somewhat the result of serendipity, it was obvious to all who knew her or were cared by her that being a nurse was fulfilling God’s purpose for her life. Debra was a caring, compassionate nurse who loved her job and her patients. She touched the lives of many people, while either caring for them or their loved ones. 

Nels and Debra’s oldest child, Nels, was born while they were stationed in California, and their children, Rebecca and Austin, were born in Livingston. Debra and her family moved to Nels’ family ranch in 1994, where she spent much of her free time cheering on her three children in academics and sports. Additionally, she spent hundreds, if not thousands, of hours on nonprofit boards and volunteering to improve our community. In 2005, Debra was heartbroken by the death of her oldest child, and in 2009, that heartbreak was compounded by the death of her youngest child. Debra never recovered from these losses. 

Debra is survived by her husband of almost 45 years, Nels; her daughter, Rebecca Swandal and son-in-law, Carl Berntsen; her grandchildren, Nels Austin, Thora, Willa, and Holter; her siblings, Daniel Ferguson, Martina Hazen (Hank), Matt Heaney (Gena), Kendell Ferguson (Brandon), and Keanon Ferguson; and her stepparents, Richard Heaney and Reni Ferguson.

Debra was preceded in death by her sons, Nels and Austin Swandal; her parents, William H. Ferguson and Judith Archer Heaney; and her brother, Joel Ferguson. 

The family would like to thank all those who loved Debra, with special thanks to Mary Plese, Lynn Crawford, Kathi Ellison, Peggy O’Neill, and Jim Durfey for all of their help caring for Debra in her last years. 

The funeral will be held at the Livingston Christian Center, 1400 Mt. Baldy Drive, on Saturday, October 12, 2024, at 1 PM. A reception will follow at the Elks Lodge. Debra will be laid to rest next to her sons at the Wilsall Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please make memorials in Debra’s honor to Counterpoint, 116 E. Lewis St., Livingston, MT 59047, or the Wilsall Scholarship Fund, PO Box 334, Wilsall, MT 59086.

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