Gladys Lorraine Funkhouser

Published 10:34 pm Friday, May 29, 2020

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Gladys Lorraine Funkhouser, 89, of Cherokee Drive, Suffolk, was gathered into the arms of her Lord on May 28 after a short illness resulting from COVID-19.

Born in Wellsburg, W.Va., she was the daughter of the late Oscar Lee and Okla Mae Denbow, and also preceded in death by her husband Howard Paul Funkhouser and two brothers, Gilbert Dwight and Clyde Lee Denbow.

Residents of Beaver Falls, Pa., in North Sewickley Township for 45 years, Lorraine retired from Laundry Services of Beaver County Medical Center — now Heritage Valley Beaver — before moving south in 2002 to live with their daughter. Prior to moving to Virginia, she was a member of the New Brighton Free Methodist Church and is currently a member of Westminster Reformed Presbyterian Church in Suffolk.

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Left to cherish her memory are her daughter, Linda French (Rick), of Suffolk; son, Paul Funkhouser Sr. (Carole), of Lincolnton, N.C.; and five grandchildren: Paul Funkhouser Jr. (Angie), of Belmont, N.C.; Heather Funkhouser (Sue Kish), of Gastonia, N.C.; Lory Horne (Paul), of Suffolk; W. Aaron French (Carolyn Noelke), of Washington, D.C.; and Brandon French, of Suffolk. She also left an indelible mark on her three great-grandchildren — Garrett Funkhouser, of Belmont, N.C., and Ethan and Richard Horne, of Suffolk — and a brother, Kenneth Denbow, of Bellaire, Ohio. She is also survived by four sisters-in-law, a brother-in-law, and many nieces and nephews.

Lorraine loved her God and her family and friends with everything she had in her, and it was felt deeply by everyone who met her and experienced the unbridled joy of her smile and the echo of her infectious giggle.

We want to thank all staff of Autumn Care of Suffolk for the excellent and compassionate care provided Lorraine over the last two years. We are also eternally grateful to the ICU nursing staff of Sentara Obici Hospital for their kindness and understanding during Lorraine’s last days. We cannot even begin to express our deepest gratitude to each and every one that touched her life.

A funeral service adhering to COVID-19 restrictions will be held at 1 p.m. Monday, June 1, 2020, at Parr Funeral Home & Crematory. Burial will be private at Albert G. Horton Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery. Friends may join the family for a time of visitation one hour prior to the service from noon to 1 p.m. at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Deacon’s Fund of Westminster Church, 3488 Godwin Blvd., Suffolk, VA 23434, or Young Life of Western Tidewater, PO Box 963, Suffolk, VA 23439. Condolences may be registered online at www.parrfuneralhome.com.