Mill Valley, CA

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Phillis Ferguson Watterworth after a short illness. Phillis was born in 1935 in Ottowa, Kansas, the daughter of Phillip Colgan Ferguson and Martha (Sharon) Ferguson.

Her father was a cattle rancher in Woodward, Oklahoma, and represented Oklahoma as a Democratic Congressman during FDR’s administration from 1935-1941.

Phillis graduated from Woodward High School in 1953. During high school, she was an avid barrel racer, and was crowned Rodeo Queen for her rodeo prowess. She then attended Cornell University, where she was the first woman in Cornell history to be chosen to serve on the university’s livestock judging team. It was at Cornell that she met her first husband, William (“Bill”) F. Adam, with whom she eventually had two children, Andrea Adam Brott of Berkeley, California and Joshua Adam of Castine, Maine. She and Bill moved to California after college, and to Mill Valley in 1961. Her first marriage ended in divorce, and in 1967, she married Scott Watterworth, to whom she remained married until her death.

During their long and happy marriage, Phillis worked part-time as a junior high school and high school substitute teacher, volunteered as a docent at the Audobon Canyon Ranch, and spent a lot of time with her dear friends at the Mill Valley Tennis Club and the Marin Ski Club. She was an avid tennis player, a gourmet cook, and as a result of Scott’s loving tutelage, an expert skier.

In their retirement years, she and Scott often traded their home in Blithedale Canyon for homes in exotic locations such as Nepal, Wales, and the French Alps, where they explored their surroundings with great enthusiasm and made new lifelong friends. During the winter months, they would drive with their beloved dog, Angus, to Whitefish, Montana, where they enjoyed uncrowded weekday skiing at Big Mountain and made more good friends with whom they tackled the expert runs.

Phillis also enjoyed spending time with her children and three grandchildren, Tirzah Brott, Talya Brott, and Jasper Adam, all of whom she and Scott taught to ski.

Funeral arrangements were private. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to the environmental charity of your choice.