NEBRASKA CITY – The father of Nebraska Supreme Court Justice Jeff Funke died Thursday in a car accident in southeast Lincoln.
According to the investigation, a semitrailer truck was stopped at the intersection of Nebraska Highway 2 and South 91st Street when it was struck from behind by a Ford Explorer. Video from the scene shows where the SUV crashed into and was partially pinned underneath the semitrailer.
Tom Funke, 79, died at the scene. He was wearing a seat belt and alcohol was not a factor.
Funeral Services will be held Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Nebraska City.
Funke was born at St. Mary’s Hospital in Nebraska City on Oct. 1, 1939. He grew up in the southeast Nebraska town with his parents, Robert and Mina, and siblings, Steve, Joyce and Robert.
He began working at Thygeson’s Drug Store at a young age and eventually worked for Hesteds Department Store.
After graduating from Nebraska City High School in 1957, he attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and became a member of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity.
On Nov. 23, 1963, Funke married Dorothy Heng at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. The two moved to Colorado to manage Hesteds Store in Greeley. They returned to southeast Nebraska in 1966 when Tom began his career as the manager of Youngtown in Bellevue.
He returned to work in Nebraska City in 1978 when he purchased the Sears Catalog Store. He owned and operated the store until 1991, when it became Funke’s Appliance. He retired in 2003.
Tom and Dorothy had for children: Deb, Tom, Jeff and Ryan. They lost Thomas Funke III on Aug. 4, 2014. Dorothy passed away on Dec. 23, 2018.
Funke was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Knights of Columbus and the Elks. He served on the Nebraska City Dock Board and was an honorary alumni of Lourdes Central Catholic School.
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