Funk, William Austin

William Austin Funk

William Austin Funk, usually called Bill, was born June 1930 in Roselle, NJ the third child of William and Elizabeth Funk. As his father joked, it was perfect timing because bills usually come on the first of the month.  Bill graduated from Roselle's Abraham Clark High School in 1948. After graduation Bill briefly attended Purdue University, but left for a stint in the US Navy where he trained as a Seabee. For those who knew Bill in his later years, you will remember him telling his favorite story about traveling in Europe when he was stationed in Naples, Italy.

When Bill's enlistment ended, he enrolled at Rockford College. He would also attend Illinois Wesleyan University and Ohio State University. He certainly gave it the old college try, but college was really not for him. 

In August 1959, Bill married Doris Harrnacker. They welcomed their daughter Tamara in 1964. About 8 months after Tamara's birth, the family moved to Roselle, NJ to live with Bill's widowed father. In NJ, Bill worked at a number of places, finally settling into his long-term job at SeaLand Service in Elizabeth, NJ.  He retired from SeaLand in 1992. 

In the autumn of 1969, Bill began work on his dream to design and build a house with his own hands. In August of 1976, the Funk family moved to their new house in Warren, NJ. 

After settling in to the new house, the Funks entered into their next life adventure when they bought an Airstream trailer.  When both Bill and Doris retired, they would spend as much as 8 or 9 months out of each year on the road with their trailer, seeing the sites and visiting with people all over the United States and Canada. 

Doris and Bill sold their house in NJ in 2012 and moved to Dodgeville, WI to live with their daughter.  Doris died in December 2020.  Bill and Doris were married for 61 years. 

Bill and Tamara weathered the COVID 19 pandemic together and frequently commented how lucky they were to be together for the lock-down. 

Bill died suddenly during the night-time hours of August 19 into August 20, 2023. 

A memorial gathering will take place for both Bill and Doris on Sunday, May 26, 2024 (Memorial Day weekend) at Folklore Village.  Memorial donations can be made to Folklore Village, 3210 County Road BB, Dodgeville, WI 53533. The Lulloff-Peterson Houck Funeral Home is serving the family. Online condolences may be made at www.houckfuneralhomes.com. 

Lulloff-Peterson-Houck 

Funeral Home 

Dodgeville     

608-935-3628 

www.houckfuneralhomes.com