In Sickness and in Health: A Spouse's
Passing Inspires Education and Generosity
The generosity of this Colts Neck couple continues to help the physicians and nurses of Riverview Medical Center's stroke program.

Betsy Moody Schmalz Ferguson and her husband, Tom, dedicated themselves to educating others about the signs of stroke so that future victims can be saved.

Five years ago, when Betsy Moody Schmalz Ferguson's husband, Brian, woke up disoriented and mumbling in the middle of the night, she knew something was wrong. She took Brian to the Emergency Department at Riverview Medical Center, where it was determined that he had suffered a severe stroke. Brian passed away only 48 hours later at just 56 years old.

Devastated but determined to move on with life, Betsy returned to her work in the cosmetics and fragrance industry, ultimately running American Flavors and Fragrances, the company Brian started right before his stroke. But she also knew she wanted to devote time and energy to helping others learn about stroke, in memory of her late husband.

"After Brian's death, I promised myself I would make his life a legacy — not only for me, but for our children, who were only 9 and 11 when their father passed away," Betsy says. "The compassion and understanding of Judy Surko, a nurse on the floor at the time of Brian's stroke, helped me through those 48 hours. I knew I would be indebted to Riverview for the kindness of the staff and the fact that Judy understood how much we loved Brian."

With this in mind, she met with members of the Riverview Medical Center Affiliated Foundation and set up an endowment for the Brian Schmalz Acute Stroke Educational Fund, which supports the Brian Schmalz Critical Care Classroom. The classroom program helps educate physicians and nurses about the signs of stroke. "The quicker one can recognize the signs, the more likely it is that stroke victims will survive," Betsy explains.

Betsy was not interested in dating, but a friend became persistent that she meet Tom Ferguson, whose spouse had also recently passed away. She decided she would go on a date with Tom, and five months later the two decided to get married.

"Meeting and getting married was a beautiful blessing for us," Betsy explains. "And Tom became just as committed as I am to stroke education." In fact, the couple decided, in lieu of wedding presents, to accept donations to Riverview's stroke program and stroke education. "Our guests were very generous," says Betsy. "Perhaps the best present of all was to see the stroke program at Riverview begin to grow in Brian's memory."

In addition to their commitment to Riverview Medical Center, the two remain involved with many other local not-for-profit organizations while also enjoying time with Betsy's two children and Tom's four grown children and nine grandchildren.

– Laura Pollio