Memorial Service
Polk Grove United Church of Christ-
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Email Details
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9190 Frederick Pike
Dayton, OH 45414
1926
Virgil
2018
Virgil LeRoy "Roy" Funderburg
March 29, 1926 — November 19, 2018
Virgil LeRoy “Roy” Funderburg
Of Vandalia, Ohio, died peacefully on Monday, November 19, 2018, at The Hospice of Dayton at the age of 92.
Roy was born in Dixon, Illinois on March 29, 1926 to Clarence and Hattie Funderburg.
At the age of three, he and his siblings were placed in an orphanage administrated by the Mennonite church. At age fourteen he left the orphanage with a missionary family who became his guardians. They took him to Grantham, PA and enrolled him in Messiah Bible Academy, where he finished his high school years. While there, he lived and worked on local farms to pay for his tuition.
At age 18 he was drafted into the Army Air Corp, a forerunner of the U. S. Air Force, where he served three years in the South Pacific during World War II.
After returning home from the service, he settled in Dayton, Ohio where his brothers and sisters had established homes and jobs.
He was hired by Allied Supply Co. to stock shelves and sweep the floor. He remained at Allied for 41 years, rising from stock boy to counter sales, to an outside sales route, to sales manager, retiring in 1988.
In 1953, Roy, a young single father, moved with his daughter to Vandalia, Ohio. Having many sales meetings at night, he hired a young woman across the street to babysit, and as they say, the rest is history! Roy and Bonnie (Skiles) were married on June 8, 1957. They built a home and were blessed with two daughters. Their lives were busy, filled with church and school activities.
During this time, Roy re-connected with his little bible school, and found that it had grown into Messiah College. Through his love and pride and gratitude for the college, he and Bonnie established the Funderburg Family Scholarship, awarded annually to a student in financial need. Roy was honored to serve an eight-year term on the Board of Associates at the college during the 90’s.
Not having grown up in a family, having a family was so important to Roy and he loved each one unconditionally. Times spent together were always special whether it was Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, fishing at Jim and Jamies’, the many vacations to Disneyworld, and all the beaches from Cape Cod to Florida, or just an after-church lunch at Red Lobster or Olive Garden. All were special.
Roy loved sports and had his seat in the “old pit” and then in the SAC, where he followed Aviator basketball through all the “Coach Z” years. He also loved OSU football and Dayton Flyer basketball as well.
Roy dearly loved his church. Through the years he has served as a trustee, served on the board of deacons, taught Sunday school, sang in the choir for more than 50 years, was instrumental in creating the Polk Grove Wood Ministry and even filled in at the pulpit when needed.
Roy was preceded in death by his parents, his daughter, Gayle Wyroba, his brother, Melvin, his sisters, Martha, Dorothy and Irene.
He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Bonnie, his daughter, Jill and husband Hank Hager of Vandalia, his daughter Jacqueline Gardner of Mason, Ohio, his four grandchildren, Zach Hager of Vandalia, and the U. S. Air Force, Holly (Hager) and Riley Koenemman of Ft. Wayne, Indiana, Ann Gardner of University of Cincinnati, and Sam Gardner, a Jr. at St. Xavier high school in Cincinnati, a special niece, Connie, and husband Don Hutchison, and their sons, Jason and family and Nathan and family, all of Vandalia, and a host of dear friends.
We will be remembering this special man, husband, father, grandfather (Paw), uncle, friend and one of the last members of the Greatest Generation. A memorial service to be held at Polk Grove U.C.C., 9190 Frederick Road, Saturday, December 1 at 11:00 a.m. with a meal following the service in the church fellowship hall.
Roy’s cremains will be interred in Polk Grove cemetery and a portion of his cremains will be placed on top of the hill in Grantham Park overlooking the beautiful campus of Messiah College which was so dear to his heart.
Our family would like to express our gratitude to the staff at Cypress Pointe in Englewood, Ohio for the loving care Roy received during the past six months, and to the staff at The Hospice of Dayton for the compassionate and loving care given to both Roy and our family.
In lieu of flowers, we ask that you consider supporting the Vandalia Food Bank or The Hospice of Dayton.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Virgil LeRoy "Roy" Funderburg, please visit our flower store.
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