Plumbing company's owner was Lima native, WW II vet

2/9/2006

LIMA, Ohio - John J. "Jack" Funni, a retired master plumber who owned the former Jack Funni Plumbing & Heating Co. here, died of pneumonia on Sunday in St. Rita's Medical Center, Lima. He was 81.

An Army veteran of World War II, Mr. Funni owned and operated Jack Funni Plumbing & Heating since its inception in the late 1950s. He worked out of his home without much help for many years, most recently employing one worker.

Mr. Funni previously worked for other firms, such as the former Lima Locomotive Co.

"He was a good Catholic man and a good father," said his wife of nearly 60 years, Carol Ann Funni.

A Lima native, Mr. Funni graduated from St. Rose High School and was 18 when he was drafted. During the war he was a technical sergeant in the Army Air Force, largely in England.

Soon after his honorable discharge on Feb. 2, 1946, Mr. Funni returned to Lima and later that month married his high school sweetheart, Carol Ann, whose maiden name was Flick.

Mr. Funni was a member of St. Rose Catholic Church, Lima.

Other memberships included local chapters of the Knights of Columbus; the VFW; Elks Lodge 54 in Lima, where he was a past exalted ruler; and Eagles Aerie 370, also in Lima.

Surviving are his wife, Carol Ann Funni; daughters, Sharon Moening, Carol Mitchell, Linda Cummings, and Diane Lee; sisters, Sister Marie Funni, Dorothy Altenbach, and Pauline Foust; 12 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.

Services will begin at 11 a.m. tomorrow in St. Rose Catholic Church, Lima. The body will be in Siferd Funeral Home Westwood Chapel, Lima, after 2 p.m. today, followed by a parish wake service at 4 p.m. and an Elks service at 7 tonight. The family suggests tributes to the church or the Lima Central Catholic High School athletic department.