Betty Marion Funk

Betty Funk passed peacefully into the presence of her Lord and Saviour the evening of March 20, 2026 in her home in Abbotsford. She was born on August 16, 1936, in Swift Current, SK, the oldest daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Loewen) Funk, Mennonite immigrants from the Ukrainian area of Russia.

Her mother went into labour on August 15, in the middle of harvest, so after dropping her off at the hospital in Swift Current, Henry returned to the farm in Braddock about 50 kilometers away. Three months later when he visited the government office to register the birth, he gave the birth date as August 15. Her mother, however, knew that her labour was not that short! Betty was born on the 16th. This discrepancy with her birthday was never a problem, until in more recent years, the date written on your birth certificate (whether true or false) became a major identification marker for all things legal.

Two brothers, Henry and John, and a sister, Mary, were added to the family. At the age of seven, speaking only German, Betty began grade one where she picked up English quickly.

In her mid-teens the family moved to an orchard in Oliver, BC. During that time her mother was frequently ill needing treatment in Vancouver, so Betty was required to help with added responsibilities around the home.

In 1955, the family moved to Matsqui, BC, to a dairy farm that had been decimated by the 1948 flood. There was plenty of work to keep them all busy and out of mischief. Because her mother was still unwell, the decision was made for Betty to take her grade 12 by correspondence so she could help at home. This was followed by a year at the Mennonite Brethren Bible Institute (now Columbia Bible College) before going to the University of British Columbia to train as a teacher. Money was in short supply. At one point she was able to exchange room and board for nanny and cooking services. After achieving her teaching certificate, she moved north to the small community of Mapes, not far from Vanderhoof. There she taught grades 1 to 3 in the two-room school and lived in a small teacherage on the same property. One of her extracurricular duties was to fire up the potbellied stove in the middle of her classroom early enough so the place would be warm when the children arrived. She taught in the Vanderhoof area for several years and then returned to UBC, completing her degree in 1966.

It was while teaching in the Vanderhoof area that on her return from a family visit to the Fraser Valley, Betty was involved in a car accident with a large truck. Her car was totaled yet she was spared from any major injury. She had been a follower of Jesus for years, but she now faced the question, “Why did God spare my life? What does He want me to do?”

Not long afterward, Betty went to Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, a mountain town in south-central France to learn French in preparation for a teaching assignment in the village of Kajiji not far from the Angolan boarder in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. There were many challenges as she finally reached her destination. Not only was she to teach cooking and sewing to the girls at the school but she would live in a small apartment attached to the dormitory and be the den mother to the out-of-town girls who lived there. Another major hurtle was language. She had just spent a year working on her French and now found that the girls she was to teach barely knew it. To communicate and be part of life in Kajiji she would need to learn Kituba, and she learned it well! The girls also improved their French language skills. The rule was that on one day communication would be in French, the next day, in Kituba.

Betty became ill with malaria and did not respond well to the treatments then available. After several bouts the doctor decided that she should leave the Kajiji area. The next assignment was at a secondary school in Kikwit, a port town on the Kwilu River, where she taught for several years before returning home in 1975. After taking courses at UBC to upgrade her teaching skills, she moved to the Queen Charolotte Islands (now Haida Gwaii) where she taught English and Home Economics in Masset and enjoyed the wild beauty of the islands. While there she received several letters from students and church leaders in Zaïre/Congo encouraging her to return. The pull was strong, but first, she wanted to have further education so she could be involved in the training of leaders for the Zaïrian church, so she applied and was accepted at the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary in Fresno, California – one of four women in a student body of 100. It was a challenge, but she rose to it and graduated in May of 1980 with her Master of Arts in Mission. Not long after, she returned to Kinshasa, the capital city of Zaïre/Congo, where for the next ten years she taught at the Institut Supérieur Théologique à Kinshasa (ISTK).

Returning to BC in July of 1991, she settled in Abbotsford, close enough to be of assistance to her aging parents. She taught French and English for two years at a private school in Chilliwack then took early retirement to be more available to her folks. Although much time was spent caring for her parents, she also was involved in various care groups and Bible study groups of the church. As well, she joined the Seven Oaks Mall Walker where she logged over 20,000 km over the years and in the process made many wonderful friends. In March 1998, Betty along with several other women who attended a writing class at Fraser Valley College decided to form a writers’ group and Abby Writers was born. Needing to write another short story for the meeting every two weeks has created a volume of information on family history for the next generation to sort through.

During her years in Africa, Betty managed to travel to eight different African countries including several safaris. In later years, she also visited Thailand and most of the European nations, not to mention the numerous road trips/tours here in our own country.

As Betty became more confined to the house and, eventually, to her bed she spent a great deal of time in prayer – prayer for others, her family, her church and her many friends both here and abroad and also for the caregivers who came four times each day to help with her care. In the evening she would ask to listen to a recording of God’s Word for about half an hour, and then she was almost ready to sleep. But first, she must say her final prayer for the night:

I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. (Psa. 4:8)

Betty was predeceased by her parents and by her brother Henry.

She will be sorely missed by her family and friends:

Her sister Mary (Ken) Peters, Brother John Funk, Friend Louise Oppel Nephews and Nieces: Brad (Lorelyn) Funk, Greg (Lacey) Funk, Darryl Funk, Wendy Funk, Dwain (Lori) Peters, Tammy (Quinn) Jones, Ken (Natalie) Peters; plus 12 great nephews and nieces:

Sean Funk, Kyle, Tara and Ryan Funk, Ryan, Jacob and Lily Peters, Shaye, Kayde and Bree Jones, Liam and Bridget Peters; and many friends.

A Memorial will be held for Betty on Saturday, May 16, 2026 at 11:00 am at the Valley CrossWay Church, 33911 Hazelwood Avenue, Abbotsford, BC.

(Please come to the north entrance of the building)

If you are unable to attend but would like to follow the service via ZOOM please contact [email protected]

And you will be sent the link the week of the service.