Charles E. Funk, III, 82 of Coventry, CT, passed away at home on Thursday, February 13, 2020, with his family by his side. He was born on November 11, 1937, in Norwalk, CT, to Alma Wingood Griswold Funk and Charles E. Funk, Jr., and grew up in Cos Cob, Greenwich, CT, with his parents and twin sisters.
He attended Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute in Brooklyn, NY; Mitchell College in New London, CT; the University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT; and Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, CT.
He married his lifelong partner, Frances, in 1960, and worked as a computer programmer at the Hartford Insurance Group. The couple moved to Coventry, he received a teaching certificate at ECSU and taught a combined fifth and sixth grade at Eastford Elementary School in 1962. He then began a teaching career in Coventry at the Robertson School, and later at the Capt. Nathan Hale Middle School when it opened. He taught in Coventry for twenty-three years, until he retired from teaching. With a partner, he opened an automobile repair business which underscored his lifelong love affair with automobiles.
He loved being at the home he and his wife Fran bought in Coventry in 1961. He loved maintaining the homestead, and took pride in accomplishments as a member of the Coventry Planning and Zoning Commission to help make Coventry a good place to live. He was a regular at the local flea markets and auctions thoroughly researching items of interest. He had a deep love of history and the well-written word. He was an avid attendee at various book shows and book shops in New England. For over 30 years, he gleefully attended the annual Hershey Region Antique Automobile Club of America Fall Meet with a friend to see old friends and swap tales and technical information. Music was another love: He and friends would get together to play the old tunes, not talking, just playing for hours. His quiet demeanor was well-known; he felt deeply about family, friends, history, and good education. He loved to show his students that they really could do math!
Chip is survived by his wife of 59 years, Frances, son Charles, IV, and wife Rachael, their children Charles and his wife Elizabeth, Leah and her husband Daniel and daughter Eden, and Adam; son Benjamin, his wife Lorraine, and their children Stephanie and fiance Joshua, Molly, and Carley; his sisters Dency Sargent, spouse Robert Sawyer, and Cynthia Funk and partner Janice Kuhagen, and Cynthia's daughter Diana Jabbour; aunt MaryAnn Griswold; nephew Robert Rosenberg; and niece Catherine Sargent and son Jasper Mele-Sargent; as well as cousins Gail Hannigan and Sharon Griswold; three brothers-in-law, Mike Fairservice, Edward Mason, and Andrew Stathis; and the friends considered family.
His family will receive friends and relatives on Tuesday, February 25, 2020, from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. at Potter Funeral Home, 456 Jackson St., Willimantic, 06226. The celebration of his life will be held at the convenience of his family. In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to the American Cancer Society or to a charity of choice, or buy and read a book to a child.
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