Vernon Funk
Vernon Funk Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information (jostfuneralhome.com)
May 19, 1953 - November 24, 2022
Hillsboro - Vernon Funk, 69, passed away November 24, 2022 at McPherson Hospital. He was born May 19, 1953 in Goessel to Ralph and Margaret (Unruh) Funk.
He married Rose York November 2, 1974 in Hillsboro.
Survivors include wife Rose Funk of Lehigh; son Brian (Polly) Funk of Goessel; daughters Jenny (Ryan) Green of Republic, Missouri, Kim Funk (Jeremy Garnica) of Newton; brother Melvin Funk of Pueblo, Colorado; sisters Carol Houdyshell of Wichita, Linda Funk of Wichita, Annette King of Hillsboro; six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Predeceased by his sister Eileen Nickles.
Funeral service 11:00 a.m. Thursday, December 1, 2022 at Trinity Mennonite Church in Hillsboro officiated by Pastor Norma Duerksen. Family will receive friends from 10:00 a.m. until service time at the Church on Thursday. Burial will be at Haven of Rest cemetery rural Hillsboro.
Memorials to American Cancer Society in care of Jost Funeral Home, P.O. Box 266, Hillsboro, KS 67063.
Online condolences at www.jostfuneralhome.com.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Vernon, please visit our floral store.
Life Sketch Taken from the Funeral Bulletin
Vernon Roy Funk, 69, passed away on November 24, 2022, at McPherson Hospital in McPherson, Kansas.
He was born on May 19, 1953, in Goessel, Kansas to Ralph J. and Margaret Louise Unruh Funk.
He attended Hillsboro High School and married Rose Ann York from Chapman, Kansas on November 2, 1974, in the Trinity Mennonite Church.
To this union were born three children: Brian Roy, Jennifer Ann, and Kimberly Joy.
Vernon attended Trinity Mennonite Church and grew up on the family farm five miles east of Hillsboro. He spent his childhood doing farm chores and field work and in his spare time enjoyed playing around the farm, especially with his best friend Jimmy Nickel, exploring at the creek, and hunting and fishing. His trusty companion was his dog Rusty and at home he enjoyed the company of his favorite cat, Yellow Bean.
He was a hard worker all of his life. He first worked for Harry Helmer at Canada Grain and then went to work in the ice cream department at AMPI in Hillsboro. It was always a great day when they processed Baskin-Robbins ice cream and there were just enough overruns to bring a little home. He began working for Barkman Honey in Hillsboro in 1974 and that is where he began his truck driving career, a career that lasted 43 years up until 2017. In 1995 he bought his first truck, a Freightliner, and in 1999 he bought a beautiful new 1999 Peterbilt that he was very proud of.
During his driving career, he received numerous safety awards for his accident-free driving. Once, after he backed perfectly into a very tight space with inches to spare, he got cheers and applause from the loading dock workers.
He enjoyed seeing the sights as he traveled all over the U.S., and he enjoyed the friendships he made with his fellow drivers and dispatchers. He never met a stranger and always had a smile and a hello for whoever he was talking to.
When he wasn't trucking, he had many hobbies that included working on his vehicles, visiting out at the farm, hunting, fishing, cooking and baking.
He was a great shot and got several trophy bucks during his hunting trips, many from the family farm.
And he loved to cook and bake, just like his mother, and he was good at it. He enjoyed nothing better than making a good meal to share with family and friends then kicking back, having a glass of wine and watching TV or listening to music. He also loved to bake bread and the bread machine was always baking a loaf of fresh bread when he was home.
He instilled his love for those hobbies into his children, who still enjoy them today.
Vernon also had a special house cat, Fat Sacks, and those two had a very close bond. Fat Sacks was an immense comfort to Vernon when he was dealing with his various surgeries, but especially during his battle with cancer in 2009. Fat Sacks passed away in May of 2016 and our hope is that they are together again now and enjoying each other's company.
In August of 2017 Vernon suffered a debilitating stroke and in September of that year began residing at Salem Home in Hillsboro.
While at Salem he enjoyed visiting and joking with the staff and residents and he also enjoyed listening to music and watching TV throughout the day. He was allowed a nightcap every evening and that was always a high point in his day.
Vernon loved his children, grandchildren and new great-grandchild, and enjoyed spending time with them. Visits from family and friends were always a highlight, but he enjoyed visiting his children and grandchildren as well as looking in on his mother at the farm before she moved to Salem Home.
Preceding him in death were his parents and sister Eileen Nickles.
Survivors include spouse Rose, children Brian (Polly Faulkner) Funk of Goessel, Jennifer (Ryan) Green of Republic, MO, Kimberly (Jeremy Garnica) Funk of Newton, grandchildren Kale, Aimee and Abbigail Funk of Goessel, William Green of Republic, MO, Vanessa (Malachi Castillo) Green of Halstead, Dayton Hoskinson, of Newton and great-grandchild Delilah Castillo of Halstead; brother Melvin (Dan Masterson) of Pueblo, CO, sisters Carol Houdyshell of Wichita, Linda Funk (Bill Johnson) of Wichita, Annette King of Hillsboro, Uncle Marvin Unruh of North Newton, aunt Joan Unruh of McPherson, plus many nieces, nephews and cousins.
To know Vernon was to love him. Remember the good times.
Broken Chain
We didn't know that morning that God would call your name.
In life we loved you dearly, in death we do the same.
It broke our hearts to lose you, but you did not go alone;
for part of us went with you the day God called you Home.
You left us special memories, and your love is still our guide;
and though we cannot see you, you are always at our side.
Our family chain is broken, and nothing seems the same;
but as God calls us one by one, our chain will link again
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Vernon, please visit our floral store.