Henry Patterson Ferrell

Henry Patterson Ferrell, 93, died peacefully in his sleep early in the morning of February 4. Henry was born on January 26, 1924, the third of six sons of Alexander Truman and Della Cochran Ferrell of Star, North Carolina.
During World War II Henry entered the United Sates Navy, and served as a radioman on patrol bombers in the Mediterranean. Following the war, Henry settled in Greensboro, N.C., working for a time in a funeral home before finding his true career in pharmaceutical sales. But the great discovery of his years in Greensboro was the love of his life, Libby Bowman. Henry and Libby were married in July, 1949, and shortly thereafter moved to Raleigh, where Henry was based as a detail man for Carroll Dunham Smith Pharmaceuticals, later Smith Miller & Patch. In Raleigh the young couple would raise their four children.
Over the course of his forty-plus year career in pharmaceuticals, Henry excelled at sales, and rose to his truest calling, sales management, surviving numerous changes in the company and the industry, including acquisitions that ultimately saw him become a sales management executive for the Cooper Labs division of Johnson & Johnson. Whatever the corporate entity acquiring the company, the new owners always wanted Henry Ferrell as part of the package, and he never gave any of them cause to regret their decision. He won numerous awards for his performance, and his retirement in the late 1990s was resisted by his employer.

But it was his success as a husband and father that meant most to Henry, and which outshone even his career accomplishments. He and Libby were devoted to each other, and together displayed a rare devotion to their children and grandson. Although his job required constant travel, when he was home his time belonged to his family, and his pleasure in that time was evident to all. He took great pride in watching his two sons and two daughters grow and find productive and rewarding lives of their own.

A man of wide interests, ranging from philosophy to cowboy movies, Henry was a sharp and insightful observer of the human condition, often sharing his observations in nuggets and pearls that came to be known as “Henryisms.” An avid and gifted gardener, Henry was also a good cook, especially of winter morning breakfasts.

Henry was preceded in death by his parents, brothers David, J.D., L.T, and James, and is survived by brother Bill.

He is survived as well by Libby, wife of 67 unforgettable years of companionship and world travel as well as home and hearth, sons Keith and Edmund, daughters Ann and Betsy, daughter-in-law Martha, auxiliary daughters Hartsell and Becky, beloved grandson Alec, as well as numerous nieces and nephews and their families.

Also among Henry’s survivors are countless friends and a legion of professional sales representatives, hired and trained by him, many of whom have gone on to their own successful careers in management, often citing Henry as a key influence upon their lives.

All who knew him will miss Henry Ferrell, but all will also be comforted by one of his favorite and most frequently invoked Henryisms: “Where is he? Where is he? He’s EVERYWHERE! He’s EVERYWHERE!”
And so he is, and will be.