Donald Clifford Funke

Donald Clifford Funke, beloved family patriarch, mentor and friend, died Monday, August 18, at age 94 at Maple Knoll Village in Springdale.

Born May 18, 1931, in Cincinnati, he was the only child of Clifford and Marie (Springer) Funke but grew up surrounded by family members including uncles, aunts and cousins, several of whom worked for the Funke greenhouses in the Wooden Shoe Hollow neighborhood. He was a graduate of Hughes High School, the University of Cincinnati, and later Xavier University’s M.B.A. program which he completed while working full time.

On April 5, 1952, Don married Carole Lee Koester, whom he had known since childhood as their parents were friends and members of Matthew United Church of Christ, where Carole’s father was church organist. Their daughter, Patricia, was born later that year followed in 1955 by a son, David. Don and Carole were, as they liked to say, “joined at the hip” as life partners and pals, enjoying dance clubs and get-togethers with friends throughout their marriage and travel in their later years, especially their annual three-week vacations in northern Michigan. After Carole’s death in 2006, in 2008 Don married Judith (Elder) Johns, a college friend and sorority sister of Carole’s whose first husband was a fraternity brother of Don’s; Judy died in 2020.

Don’s first job after college was as a buyer at AR Industries, but the majority of his career was spent at Cincinnati Gas & Electric Company. He joined CG&E as a purchasing agent and rose through the ranks over 32 years with the company. As Vice President-Human Resources, he was on the executive team that orchestrated CG&E’s merger with PSI Energy completed in 1994 to form CINergy (now Duke Energy).

Besides his faith, his family, his friends and the people he worked with at CG&E, the other great love of Don’s life was music. He was skilled on saxophone, clarinet and accordion, and for many years played in Cincinnati-area dance bands, often working three engagements in a weekend. His band-job earnings provided a vital supplement in the early years of their marriage when money was tight. He also enjoyed golf, though whether it was a “love” of his life varied depending on the outcome of a day’s round. (Later in life, he was known to take liberties with the rules!)

Don was preceded in death by his wives, his daughter Patricia, and son-in-law Thomas Runck, Sr. He leaves his son, David (Jane), grandchildren Elise (Chip) Rielage, Jennifer (Jason) Wells, Thomas Runck Jr., Ellen (Andrew) Hooley, and Katharine and Anna Funke; and great-grandchildren CJ and Carrie Rielage, Jaydon and Jordan Wells, Gavin and Catelyn Runck, and Caroline and Maren Hooley.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Friday, August 29, at Friendship United Methodist Church where he was a member, with calling from 10 a.m. until time of the service. Burial will be next to Carole at Spring Grove Cemetery. Following the graveside service there will be a reception at Maple Knoll Village, where he had lived since 2016.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to Friendship United Methodist Church, 1025 Springfield Pike, Wyoming OH 45215.

https://friendshipwyoming.breezechms.com/form/fc67868538809