Peter A. Feringa Jr.'s Obituary
Peter A. Feringa, Jr. of Covington, Louisiana passed away peacefully on Sunday July 10th at the age of 88. “Pete” was born on November 17, 1933 in Jacksonville, Florida to Major General Peter A. Feringa and Katharine (Hutchins) Feringa, and lived in multiple places throughout his childhood as his father undertook military assignments. After raising his family in Metairie, he lived in Covington in his later years. He is survived by his devoted wife of more than 61 years, Linda Kostmayer Feringa; sister Courtney Feringa Moran; sister-in-law Joan Kostmayer LaFaver; children Peter A. Feringa III (Kara), Matthew D. Feringa (Jill), Barbara Feringa Santillan (Javier) and Elizabeth “Lisa” McLean (Pope); and, his grandchildren Lillian Santillan, Shep McLean, Mac McLean, Jon Feringa, Katharine McLean, Ryan Feringa, Brett Feringa, Megan Feringa and Ellen Feringa.
Pete graduated high school from St. Alban’s in Washington, D.C., and attended Tulane University, where he was an active member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He then pursued legal studies at Tulane Law School where he was a member of the Board of Editors of the Tulane Law Review.
Between the first and second years of law school, Pete entered the Army Corps of Engineers and was stationed in Orleans, France. In addition to his military duties, he was also able to travel, learn languages and enjoy the pleasures of Paris and Pamplona.
Upon graduation from law school in 1959, Peter joined the firm of Chaffe McCall, L.L.P. where he excelled at civil and commercial litigation. During his 62-year tenure, he litigated some of the largest cases the firm handled. He was lead counsel in many environmental and complex construction litigation matters, including his representation of American Bridge, a former United States Steel Corporation subsidiary, in disputes involving the construction of the New Orleans Superdome. His list of clients was impressive, including Ford Motor Company, Ford Motor Credit Company, USF&G, Samedan Oil Corporation, Holiday Inns of America, Grinnell Corporation, Citicorp Person to Person, and USX (U.S. Steel), Marine Shale, General Foods Corporation, and Domino Sugar Corporation. In 1981, the Louisiana Supreme Court appointed Peter to a vacant judgeship in the Twenty-Fourth Judicial District Court as judge Pro Tempore for a period of six months. Later in his career, Pete acted as an arbitrator in numerous construction and commercial disputes.
Pete was a member of the Pickwick Club, the Stratford Club and several Carnival organizations.
Pete was known for being hard-driven and tenacious. That zeal extended beyond legal proceedings to other aspects of his life. He enjoyed driving cars, boats, and 3 wheelers - well, any motorized passenger device - at maximum velocity, and invested significant resources in any technology available to avoid police detection.
Pete’s enthusiasm for racing led him to participate in multiple ventures in the Thoroughbred industry. He was co-breeder of the mare Xtra Heat, a Thoroughbred Eclipse champion and Hall of Famer, as well as a co-breeder of Autobeacat, a Louisiana Bred champion racehorse.
A gifted orator, Pete’s linguistic eloquence was particularly evident when creating unique combinations of profane words to strongly express his feelings and beliefs. His nod to the politically incorrect was characteristically shared with uproarious laughter and a mischievous smile.
Pete loved good food, cheap drinks and great stories, especially when consumed all together. He loved time with family, relishing every additional in-law and grandchild. Towing family members on tubes at high speeds in North Carolina lakes was a favorite excursion, as was whipping them around in golf carts on the back roads of Bogalusa. Destin beaches were cherished as a place to build drizzle sandcastles with children and grandchildren, and to float serenely on aquamarine waves for hours under the sun.
Pete was beloved and will be missed.
A memorial service to celebrate Pete’s life will be held August 3, 2022 at Christ Episcopal Church, 120 S. New Hampshire Street, Covington, LA, 70433. Visitation will occur at 2:30 p.m. followed by a funeral service at 3:30 p.m. Afterwards, a reception will be held at the home of Peter and Kara Feringa. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Alexander Milne Developmental Services at 1065 Milne Circle, Covington, LA 70435 and at www.mileds.org.
E.J. Fielding Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements. Please sign the E.J. Fielding Funeral Home online Guest Book at www.ejfieldingfh.com.
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