Roberta O. Funk

Roberta O. Funk died on July 23, 2013, after a brief illness a few months short of her 79th birthday. A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Wallace Family Funeral Home. The family will greet friends from noon until the time of service.  Roberta will be interred at Newton Union Cemetery where her parents, sisters, brother, and infant daughter are also buried. Memorials to Meals On Wheels may be left at the funeral home.

She was born Roberta O. Rouse on Sept. 8, 1934, in Newton, the daughter of B.W. and Dorothy (Morris) Rouse. She spent most of her life in Newton, although she lived some of her early childhood in Derby. Roberta graduated from Newton Senior High School in 1953. On July 10, 1953, she was married to Rolland Ralph Funk. Roberta was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Newton and prior to that a member of the First Baptist Church of Newton for several years, where she taught Sunday school to preschoolers and volunteered at the Vacation Bible School and the church nursery.

Besides being a loving mother and grandmother, she was an avid antiques collector and collected porcelain dolls and other object d’art. For many years, she was a day care provider in her home.

Roberta is survived by her husband, Rolland Ralph Funk of Newton; daughters, Karla Rae Funk (Frederic) Cook and Karin Beth Funk (Paul) Christianson; her grandchildren, Aleah Christianson Harmsen, Alexendra Christianson Rasmussen, Sydney Marie Christianson, and William “Bill” Charles Cook; one great-grandson, Liam Christopher Harmsen; her twin-brother, Robert Eugene (Elaine) Rouse; her sister, Wanda Jean Rouse (Danny) Cleaver; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; a daughter, Lise Ellen Funk; brother, Keith (Violet) Rouse; and two sisters, Nadine Rouse and Leorine Rouse (Edward) Warner.