Glenn Patrick Funkhouser

Pat Funkhouser

     It is with great sorrow of heart that we say goodbye to a beloved husband, father, grandfather and faithful friend.  On September 14, 2018, after a courageous and valiant fight against cancer that lasted six years, Glenn Patrick Funkhouser left this life to begin a new one in heaven.

     Pat entered this world on November 16, 1945, in Salmon, Idaho, the second child of Mix and Wilma Funkhouser.  Shortly thereafter, he and the family moved to Fairfield and it was there on the Camas Prairie that he would live out the rest of his days on this earth.  Pat’s early years were filled with great adventures – he often recounted these at family gatherings – and he developed strong bonds with his two brothers and three sisters, that continued into their adult lives.  Some of Pat’s fondest childhood memories included the summers he raised chickens and geese at the Barron Ranch as well as the summers he spent living in cow camps.  When the rest of the family moved to Gooding in 1961, Joe and Merdie McCarter offered Pat and his older brother Mike a job and a bunkhouse to stay in for their remaining years of high school at Camas County.  These were important years because it was during this time that he fell in love with Connie Williams.  They exchanged vows on August 20, 1964, put down roots at Corral Creek at the base of the beautiful Soldier Mountain, and remained faithful to each other for the next 54 years.   Their happy marriage produced two children, Lonnie Guy and Mindy Michele.

     Pat worked for the Wes Fields Ranch for many years. He also worked a few years for Joe McCarter after Wes sold the ranch. He was elected as a very young County Commissioner and served for 6 years. Later he was employed as Camas County Road and Bridge supervisor for 25 years. Pat served 10 years on the Camas County Fair Board and served on the Cemetery Board.

     Pat’s great grandfather, A.C. Funkhouser, was one of the first settlers to homestead in the Mackay-Challis area in 1875.  It was A.C. who first had the Diamond F brand officially documented and registered in 1914.  The Diamond F brand as well as A.C.’s love for all things cattle were passed down to Pat and he eventually came to have a ranch of his own – Funkhouser Cattle.  Running a small ranch and being a full-time county road boss did not satisfy Pat’s drive to work, so he started a custom hay stacking operation – Funkhouser Stacking – with his son Lonnie.  Even with this workload, Pat and Connie always made time to attend 4-H activities, choir concerts, music recitals, and sporting events with their kids and grandkids.

     We remember Pat as one that never knew a stranger, a man who worked tirelessly, a father who always had an encouraging word, a loyal husband who faithfully provided, a grandfather who adored every one of his grandkids, a friend who could be counted on for anything.

     Pat was preceded in death by his parents, Mix & Wilma Funkhouser; sisters, Sue Curtis and Renae Reay; grandson Patrick Robert Rudkin.

     Pat is survived by: his wife, Connie Funkhouser; his son, Lonnie Funkhouser (Donna) - Austin and Sammy; his daughter, Mindy Rudkin (Shawn) - Madison, Jackson, Davis, Lincoln, McKinley and Morgan; his sister, Bobi Wentworth (Tom); his brothers, Mike Funkhouser (LaPriel) and Monte Funkhouser (Sherry); and many nieces and nephews.

     Pat’s Celebration of Life will be on Saturday, September 29, 2018 at 10:30 am. in the Camas County High School Gym. There will be a viewing on Friday September 28 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Demaray’s Gooding Chapel.

     Donations may be made to the Camas County Senior Center or the Camas County School.

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