Denise Eileen Funderburk was born in Yankton, South Dakota on July 21st, 1941, and passed away on Thursday, July 13, 2023 in Saint Peters, Missouri.
Denise was happily married to Donald Glenn Funderburk; they celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary in June. Denise was a homemaker, a volunteer and active PTA member at each of her children's schools, a Cub Scout Den Mother and a Girl Scout Troop Leader. Professionally, Denise worked as a secretary for K.I.R.L. radio station for several years before becoming a Fee Agent for the State of Missouri in St. Charles, Missouri.
Denise was passionate about cooking for her family and friends, and met monthly with the St. Charles Missouri Gourmet Club, to share food, recipes and fellowship. She was an active member of the St. Charles MO Republican Party and enjoyed attending and hosting events.
She was an avid traveler; she and her husband visited Hawaii for their 35th anniversary, and they went on an Alaskan Cruise a few years later. They toured Europe twice, visited the Funderburk Ancestral lands in Germany and visited Ireland to see Denises' ancestral home in 2002 with her husband and a group of friends. Denise also enjoyed a trip to Italy with her girlfriends.
In 1998, Denise and Don retired and moved to Savannah, Georgia, where Denise was charmed by its southern hospitality. She became an active member of the Newcomers Group there, working to welcome new neighbors and meet new friends. One of her favorite traditions was to go to the Griffin Tea Room with her friends at Christmas time to enjoy a leisurely afternoon lunch and stroll the historic squares in downtown Savannah. Denise organized and hosted a Women's Bible Study group for many years. She was an avid gardener, and found great joy in cultivating prize-winning roses with the Rose Society in Savannah. Denise was a decades-long member of her church's Altar Guild and enjoyed putting together the altar floral arrangements
She cherished time with her grandchildren and was known to make some of them "second breakfasts" when they would claim they "had not been fed that morning." She was always a good sport when playing card games with her young grandchildren – she would smile and feign great astonishment when she only drew the "bad cards" during their games of Uno. One of her favorite family traditions was going to church on Christmas Eve, sharing a meal with her family, followed by a reading of The Night Before Christmas aloud.
Denise is survived by her husband, Don, two sons, Michael Funderburk and Daniel (Stacy) Funderburk, daughter Kimberly (Kent) Montgomery; six grandchildren, Christopher Funderburk, Samuel (Laurel) Funderburk, Mikayla (Seth) Siebert, Annika David, Matthew Montgomery, Katherine Montgomery; great-grandson Jaime Funderburk; sister Marilyn (Sherwood) Vereide, brother James (Fran) King, sister-in-law Carole (David) King, brother-in-law Richard (Geraldine) Schultz, a host of beloved nieces and nephews, and many other family members and friends.
She was preceded in death by her father, Eugene Rossman, mother Marian King (née Smith), step-father William "Bill" King, sister Kathleen (Raymond) Gill, step-sister Frances "Fran" Garton, three step-brothers Gary (Ruth) King, Don (Darlene) King, David (Carole) King, step-sister Geraldine "Peach" (Richard) Schultz, and two daughters-in-law Robin Caldwell Funderburk and Judith "Judy" McPipkin Funderburk.
Visitation will be from 10:00 am - 10:45 am, Saturday, August 5th, 2023 at Newcomer Funeral Home, 837 Mid Rivers Mall Drive, St. Peters, MO 63376. Funeral services will begin at 11:00 am with internment at Trinity Episcopal Church, 318 S Duchesne Dr, St Charles, MO 63301. The family would like to invite family and friends to join us in a Celebration of Denise's Life at a reception at Clarendale Retirement Community, 10 Dubray Dr, St Peters, MO 63376 immediately following the internment.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the American Heart Association
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Or give in her memory to the Church of the Resurrection in Chesterfield, Missouri.
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Denise's service will be livestreamed at the scheduled service time.
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To share a memory of Denise or leave a special message for her family, please visit the guestbook below.