Funk, John Fretz (1835-1930)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1930 Jan 15 p. 1

Birth date: 1835 Apr 6

text of obituary:

PIONEER MENNONITE PUBLISHER DIES AT 94

Elkhart, Ind., January 9. The Rev. John Fretz Funk, age ninety-four, one of Elkhart's oldest residents and pioneer leader of the Mennonite church in America, is dead at his home here. His body was found in bed today.

A resident of Elkhart since 1867, the Rev. Mr. Funk was sometimes called the dean of Elkhart business men. He was president and active manager of the Mennonite Publishing Company during the fifty years of its existence. the company printed Sunday School and Church literature for churches of that sect throughout the world. The corporate affairs of the company were ended in 1925 and Mr. Funk had conducted the remnant of its mail order business under the trade name of John F. Funk.

Despite his advanced age, he made daily trips to the office of the company until last May. He became bedfast last Friday.

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1930 Mar 5 p. 5

text of obituary:

OBITUARY OF PIONEER MENNONITE PUBLISHER

John Fretx, son of Jacob and Susanna (Fretz) Funk, was born April 6, 1835, in Bucks Co., Pa. His education, beyond that of the public schools, was received in a private school conducted by the Baptist denomination, and as a student in Freeland Seminary, now Ursinus College. at the age 18 he became a teacher in the home school. This vocation he followed for three years. he then went to Chicago, Ill., arriving there in 1856. He made his home with his half-sister, Mary Ann Beidler and was employed for some time by her husband in the lumber business. Later he engaged in the lumber business by himself, being very successful.

While yet in Pennsylvania, he came in contact with the Baptist Church, but he was not able to reconcile some of their doctrinal teachings with the Scriptures, especially on the subject of baptism. In his study of this subject, he was largely guided by a booklet written by his great-grandfather, Heinrich Funk, who had migrated from Holland. In Chicago, with the Beidler family, he worshipped at the Third Presbyterian Church and it was during a revival in that denomination that he was converted. He applied for membership in that denomination, but after studying their creed, he was unable to reconcile with the Word the Calvinistic doctrine of predestination and infant baptism. There was only one thing that he could honestly do, and so he made a trip back to his home in Bucks Co., Pa., at his first convenience and was received into the Mennonite Church at

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1930 Jul 16 p. 4