front&center John Allan Funk

Malvern funeral-home director feels ‘ blessed’

By Elizabeth Pannell

LITTLE ROCK — Many 10-year-old boys want to be star athletes, firemen or policemen when they grow up, but John Allan Funk wanted to be a funeral-home director.

And he’s never regretted it.

As owner and director of J.A. Funk Funeral Home in Malvern, Funk, 53, deals with death on a daily basis, but he wishes that people could love their jobs as much as he does.

“I pray that everyone would love their job. I can’t take credit for making myself feel this way; it’s a God thing,” Funk said. “It’s in my blood.”

His father was a funeral director at Massengill Mortuary in Malvern and John Allan spent lots of time at the funeral home.

“During the summer of 1965, I got my first taste of the funeral industry. I hung around my dad’s funeral home and watched some of the older guys and how they dealt with the families,” Funk said. “That’s when I was like, ‘Wow, this is what I’m going to do.’”

In 1976 Funk left Malvern to get his education in Dallas. After receiving his degree he worked in funeral homes in Little Rock, Benton and Pine Bluff. He was gone for 20 years, but always wanted to return to his hometown and open his own business. In 1996 he came home, and by 2000 he had bought the building that would become J.A. Funk Funeral Home.

“I bought this building because I just had to be on my own. I was tired of working for someone else, and I felt that Malvern could support two funeral homes, so I bought this building sight unseen,” Funk said.

The building Funk bought is the old funeral home his dad worked at in the late 1960s. In 1965 it ceased being a funeral home and became First Presbyterian Church, until June 1994 when lightning struck and caused a fire. The building sat vacant until September 2000, when Funk purchased the building.

“When I walked in for the first time, the gentleman said, ‘This is such a mess you don’t really want this.’ After he told me how much he wanted for it, I took it,” Funk said. “The main structure was not damaged, but we had to do cosmetic work. The church that was here before had not really changed to floor plan, except they turned the preparation room into a kitchen, which is funny, because I don’t think many people realized they were eating and preparing food in an old funeral home preparation room.”

Funk said the most expensive changes he had to make were to the preparation room, because it had to meet all the mandates.

“It had to have a floor drain, separate water supply, heating and cooling systems, fresh air intake and exhaust system.”

Funk also said that the man who sold him his antique, porcelain preparation table swore that it’s the same table Bonnie and Clyde were embalmed on.

“I have no proof that it’s real, but I just tell people, ‘Legend has it,” Funk said.

After all of the remodeling the inspector from the Arkansas Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors had to come and make sure the funeral home wasin the proper condition and all the details were taken care of, then Funk was given his license and received his first client rather quickly.

“On Feb. 5, 2001, two days after my birthday, I received my license. Within five minutes, I had a friend come in and ask if I was open for business, because his aunt had just died and he wanted me to take care of the services,” Funk said. “The inspector was shocked. He said he had seen new funeral homes get business in the first few days, but not the first few minutes. I think that was a good omen.”

Funk is now in his eighth year of business and said he could not be more blessed.

“I was put on the Earth to do this. I pride myself on the ability to take care of people during their lowest points,” he said. “I want to make myself accessible to anybody, day or night.”

Along with being familiar with the community through his business, Funk is also involved in First United Methodist Church, where he is a member of the choir.

“I love my church; it’s really been my sanctuary. Anything they need me to do, I’m happy to do it,” Funk said. “I haven’t really learned to say no.”

Claudia Mann Mason, a longtime family friend, has known Funk since his mother brought him home from the hospital. She said he is one of the most helpful people she knows.

“He just does so much for so many people. Most people don’t know this, but he takes care of a 90-year-old woman who is in the nursing home,” Mason said. “I just can’t say enough about how helpful he is.”

Four years ago Funk said he felt the need to help his community by serving Thanksgiving dinner. The first year he had the dinner 250-300 people were fed, and Funk said the project has blessed his life.

“Volunteers from the community have just poured in to help. We have people that cook, people that make pies and people that help deliver meals to the elderly,” Funk said. “The demographic of people we serve is amazing, too. Everyone from people who live under bridges to doctors and attorneys are all in one room. You just can’t imagine how that makes me feel.”

Funk said that after the first Thanksgiving dinner was over he went to go thank an older lady, her daughter and son-in-law who came from Hot Springs to help.

“After the dinner I went over to thank them for their help and for giving up their Thanksgiving. The older lady looked at me and said, ‘We didn’t give up our Thanksgiving, this is our Thanksgiving.’”

That year Funk was given the Community Service Award from the Hot Spring County Chamber of Commerce.

“Nothing like that (the dinner) had ever been done on that scale in Malvern. So it was special,” Funk said. “My first 50 Thanksgivings were great, but the last three were the very best that I have had in my life. I will do this until the day I die.”

In March, Funk suffered a loss in his family - his poodle, Charlie.

“I gave my mom a poodle for Christmas in 1989. When she died six year ago, he became mine,” Funk said. “He had never been left alone, so I started taking him to work with me. And the last several years of his life he became dependent on me. He was 18 years old when he died.”

Funk said Charlie was special because he was the last connection he had to his mother.

“He was the last tangiblethread I had from my mom. When my mom died, I never really had time to grieve, so when that last thread of attachment was gone, I lost it.”

Charlie’s obituary was published in the local paper, and Funk had a memorial service for the dog at the funeral home.

“Close to 100 people came. We sang and had scripture readings, and I large pictures of him, too,” Funk said. “People sent flowers and gave donations to the church and animal shelter. There were even 90-year-old ladies that came to the service, which they will never know how much that meant to me,” he said. “Everybody loved Charlie.”

Funk said if what he did by having a memorial service for his dog makes others want to celebrate their dogs lives, he will give them a place and time to do so.

“A loss is a loss, and I know a lot of people feel as strongly about their pets as I do. So if that opens the door for people wanting to have memorial services for their pets, my doors are open.”

Funk said he has had enough time to grieve, and he will welcome the next Charlie to his home Saturday, July 26, when he gets another poodle.

Funk’s future plans are to continue serving and helping the Malvern community.

“I have been blessed by a lot of things in my life. As long as I can do something to help people in my community, then I’m happy,” Funk said. “I have been blessed with opportunities that a lot are not given.”

Funk said there is nothing he dislikes about his job, and he plans to do it for the rest of his life.

“If I retired, then I don’t know what I would do with myself. I eat, sleep and breathe my job. I’ve wanted to do this since I was 10 years old, and I have been doing it since I was 19 years old, so as long as people appreciate what I’m doing, then I’m happy.” - epannell@ arkansasonline.commatter of fact

Birthdate: Feb. 3, 1955

Birthplace: Malvern

Hobbies: Crossword puzzles

Name derivation: My paternal and maternal grandfathers

Most people don’t know I’m: An avid professional football and golf fan.

I cannot live without: My friends and my church

Favorite athletes: Peyton Manning and Tiger Woods

Favorite restaurants: Mollie’s and Coy’s in Hot Springs; I have been going to both most of my life.

Favorite Thanksgiving food: Traditional fare: turkey, dressing, etc.

My favorite memory is: Being able to visit Europe twice, Paris especially.

The world would be a better place if: Everyone would just do the right thing.

Favorite Quote: Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. Benjamin Franklin

Tri-Lakes, Pages 120, 122 on 07/13/2008