Beloved daughter, granddaughter, sister, aunt and niece, "Toad" Whittney Joan Ferguson, 25 years old, passed away on Friday, Dec. 11, 2015, in West Hollywood, California, after losing her battle with addiction.

Whittney was born and raised in Knappa, Oregon. She was a hard-working, vivacious, over the top girl with a larger than life personality. She grew up as a fun-loving, free spirit who loved her animals, especially her horses. She competed in many horse shows with her horses, Peter and Cruizer, all over Oregon. She also participated in 4-H for nine years, showing her horses and sheep.

Whittney graduated from Knappa High school in 2008, then from dental school in 2009. She worked as a dental assistant off and on for the past six years. She also worked at the Golden Star in Astoria as a waitress. She loved to work and enjoyed interacting with people.

Sadly the last years of her life were not so wonderful. In life, one little decision can make a huge impact on not just you, but also those who love and care for you. She made some mistakes that ended up costing her her life. All of the wonderful blessings that she had: talent, friendships, a positive outlook on life, and, most importantly, family, were sidelined by a wrong decision to use drugs.

Whittney had a loving and supporting family, and had everything a young woman could want. Drugs took hold of her life, changed her, and destroyed so much of the hope and promise in her future. You may ask why we are sharing this personal part of Whittney's life. Hopefully by making more people aware of Whittney's struggle, we can shed some light on this devastating issue, and work to fix a very big problem in our community.

This was a wonderful life, full of hope and promise, ended far too soon. If her story can help one person not make the same mistakes that Whittney did, save one family from losing a loved one far too young, then sharing this tragedy will be worth it, and help to add meaning to a life cut far too short.

While we are sad to see her go, we are relieved that her struggle is over, and now she is at peace. The family thanks all of their close friends and family who have stood by their side in support over the last few years of Whittney's struggle.

She is survived by her mother and stepfather, Linda and Ronnie Geisler; her father and stepmother, Darrel and Darcy Ferguson; her sister, Brittany Ferguson; her niece, Avery Robles; her grandparents, Nancy Donovan, Gary and Peggy Ziak and Jerry and Janice Ferguson; and many aunts, uncles, cousins and close friends.

She was preceded in death by her grandfather, Don Donovan; great-uncle, Steve Baird; and cousin, Stefan Deloff.

We would like to extend an invite to the rehabilitation centers, community and local schools to help raise awareness of this tragic epidemic. Also, to any individuals or families who are currently struggling with addiction, please contact Brittany Ferguson at [email protected]

Memorial services will be at Knappa High School on Friday, Jan. 1, 2016, at 2 p.m.

Also, in lieu of flowers, we would greatly appreciate donations made to the Northwest Chapter of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency.