James P. Ferry, 76 years old of Dover, passed away Tuesday, March 14, 2023. A graduate of Lawrenceburg Consolidated High School, many will remember Jim from their childhood days as “Doc”, a tribute to his dad who was a dentist in Lawrenceburg. After attending Indiana State University for 2 ½ years, Jim moved back home and worked at Schenley Distillery for a year before volunteering for the U.S. Army. He was sent to Vietnam and assigned to the 75th Infantry Rangers as part of the 4th Infantry Division. He was part of the LRRP Group (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol) as a member of the four man ambush team. During his time in Vietnam, Jim was wounded twice within 17 days and was the recipient of two purple hearts as well as a bronze star. After returning home, Jim ran into Rosalind “Rosie” Wuestefeld at the Old E Tavern. After denying his request to dance many times at the Sunman dances during high school, Rosie finally agreed to go out with him. Jim must have known Rosie was the one all along because within a year they were married and shortly after expecting their first child. During that time Jim decided to go back to Indiana State where he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree. Upon completion of school, Jim & Rosie moved back to the area and he became the Industrial Arts teacher for the Northwest School District for 33 years.
The father of three children and seven grandchildren, Jim’s world revolved around his family. He enjoyed loving on his grandkids and was very proud of children’s accomplishments. He especially loved to spend time with them at Lake Monroe where they would go fishing and boating. Jim also found joy in fishing with his childhood friends. He brought his Industrial Arts skills into their home where he built most of their furniture and several other household items. His meticulous craftsman skills recently turned into a passion for building with Legos. A proud VIP member of the Lego Club, he had a room full of his creations and even had to build more shelves on which to showcase his Lego masterpieces.
Jim will be deeply missed by Rosie, his wife of 52 years, and his children Doug (Valerie) Ferry, Angela (Ryan) Miller, and Lori (Jay) Robinson; grandchildren Kyra, Alyssa, Aiden, Cole, Jack, Jameson, and Aubrey; sisters Sheila (Ritch) Merk and Elizabeth (Chuck) Andrews. Jim is preceded in death by his siblings George (Sandy) Ferry, Mary Anne (John) Steitz, and Thomas (Mildred) Ferry and parents Anne & George Ferry.
Visitation for Jim will be held on Monday, March 20 from 10:00am – 12:30pm at Andres-Wuestefeld Funeral Home. Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 1:00pm at St. John the Baptist Church of All Saints Parish with burial immediately following in the church cemetery. For those unable to attend, Mass will be live streamed at https://www.youtube.com/user/aspweeklyhomily. Memorials can be made to St. Joseph American Legion Post 464 or Masses. Memorials will be taken at the visitation or can be mailed to Andres-Wuestefeld Funeral Home. Family and friends are encouraged to leave condolences at www.andres-wuestefeldfh.com