Last week was something of an emotional roller coaster me. The last week of February was my first anniversary as the editor of Southern Denton County neighborsgo. It was one year ago that I moved from the CollinCounty office to the Lewisville office and jumped in feet first into what would quickly prove to be a wonderful adventure.

Anniversaries are a fun time to reflect on how things have changed and in the case of SDC neighborsgo come alive with contributions for many of individuals as well as a large number of clubs, organizations, churches, and school groups.

In one of my first columns last year, I invited you to email me or stop by the office and introduce yourself. I was pleasantly surprised that many of you did just that. This is where my weeklong roller coaster ride takes a turn that I didn’t expect.

Within a few days after that invitation column ran, a tall, very bald man with a giant smile stopped in my office. He introduced himself as Wayne Ferguson and handed me a business card. Being new in town, I had no idea who he was. It didn’t matter to Wayne, though, he welcomed me to Lewisville and told me a little about the community and Old Towne.

When he left I remember thinking “what a nice guy.” I couldn’t believe this man had taken time out of his day to stop by and say hello to the new editor. It was several days, maybe a week or so, later that I realized that my office sits next door to WayneFergusonPlaza. I made the connection.

Over the last year I’ve run into Wayne at Old Towne Business Association meetings and on the street. He even stopped in my office a couple times to drop off information about possible stories. No matter where we met, he always had a smile and was eager talk about things happening in Lewisville.

I never knew that he was ill or had been fighting for his life for months. When I learned last week that Wayne had passed away, I was struck with a sadness that a man so full of caring was gone.

Although Wayne and I were only acquaintances in a business setting, he was in some ways very special to me because he was the first person in Lewisville to stop in and say hello.

My condolences and prayers go out for the Ferguson family. Wayne will be missed by many that he touched in his day-to-day duties around town.