Obituaries

• John Thomas Wright

  John Thomas Wright passed away peacefully on July 26, with his family by his side. Beloved husband, father and grandfather, he was lovingly known to his family as Tommy, Thomas, Daddy, Bebaw Boy, Babaw and Grandpa, and also known to co-workers, caregivers and friends as John or Mr. John. He was born in Ethelsville (Pickens County) Ala., to parents John W. Franklin Wright and Amelia Brownlee. According to family records, the year was 1913, although a subsequent duplicate copy of his birth certificate received over 35 years later, showed 1912 as the year.

  Upon the death of his mother in 1914, he and his sisters, Mary and Florence, went to live with their maternal grandparents on the family farm in New Hope, Miss. Growing up in rural Mississippi, Tommy developed a lifelong love for baseball, hunting and fishing, carpentry, and woodworking. As with most young men during the early years of the Great Depression, after graduation from high school, Tommy found few employment opportunities available. For a time, he worked as a butcher in a local grocery store, as a pattern cutter in the garment industry, and for the highway department building roads. An offer to drive an elderly gentleman to Dallas to visit the Texas Centennial Exposition in 1936 changed Tommy’s life. Family members living in nearby Arlington convinced him that job prospects were much better in Texas at that time. The decision to stay in Texas was made, and Tommy quickly found employment with an up and coming men’s pants manufacturing company called Haggar.

  Several years later, he was introduced to the love of his life, Vera Lucille Palmer, at Oak Cliff First Baptist Church. While Tommy continued to work at the Haggar Company, Lucille was an executive secretary for the Ripley Shirt Company. However, a call from “Uncle Sam” interrupted their marriage plans. For more than three years during World War II, Tommy faithfully served his country in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, stationed in the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska. It was during this tour of duty that he acquired the telecommunications skills that would lead to his future career.

  Post-World War II American saw an explosive growth in the telecommunications industry. After his return from the war, Tommy’s valuable experience in the Signal Corps allowed him to find almost immediate employment with Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. During a 32-year career, he worked on numerous large telephone-switch installations in almost every major corporation and office building in downtown Dallas. From his early experience in the garment industry in Mississippi, Tommy strongly supported union workers’ rights and was a member of the Communication Workers of America during his years with Southwestern Bell. He was also a lifetime member of the Telephone Pioneers of America. Tommy instilled a strong work ethic in his daughters, particularly the importance of punctuality and attendance, receiving numerous “perfect attendance” awards during his career.

  Tommy and Lucille were married in January 1945. They settled in Oak Cliff, where they lived for more than 65 years, raising two daughters and enjoying five lively grandchildren. Outside of work, Tommy enjoyed hunting and fishing trips with his father-in-law, other co-workers, and his daughters. He was also a Mason for more than 30 years. His leisure time was spent gardening, landscaping or toiling in his workshop creating handcrafting furniture and other wood-working projects.

  One of his true pleasures throughout his life was listening to radio broadcasts of professional sport events. He felt the radio’s play-by-play coverage was far superior to televised coverage and would often turn the TV volume completely off while listening to a baseball game on the radio. Tommy was a diehard Texas Ranger fan, and although declining health prevented him from attending their games, he always listened to the radio broadcasts.

  During his retirement, he also spent countless precious hours with his grandchildren. Often, multiple grandchildren would be sitting in his lap or perched on the arms of his recliner while he read stories to them, enjoyed “tea parties” with the girls or playing toy trains with his grandson. Tommy loved his family deeply, not only his wife and daughters, but also his sons-in-law, whom he considered as true sons, and his grandchildren. Tommy was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 65 years, Vera Lucille Wright, his parents, and sisters. He is survived by daughter Carolyn Tipton and husband Glynn; daughter Patricia Erickson and husband Steven; grand-daughters, Erin Tipton, Elspeth Erickson, Elisa Tipton, and Kestrel Erickson; and grandson Rowan Erickson.

  Funeral services were held Monday, Aug. 1 at First Baptist Church, 323 W. Wheatland Rd, Dun-canville, Texas. Visitation with the family began one hour before the service. Memorials may be made to: Grace Presbyterian Village Caring Fund, Dallas, Texas.

• Dr. Presley Clyde Funk III

  Dr. Presley Clyde Funk III, 92, recently of Dallas and Frisco, joined his beloved wife, Wanell, on Jan. 19, 2011. He said he may not know for sure about Heaven or Hell, but he was absolutely sure he was going to be with Wanell and she was, and is, the Angel in our family. We know they have gone fishing. As for the rest of us, he said, “Dying is for the living — so get on with it!”

  Born April 4, 1918, in Snyder, Texas, Dr. Funk was raised in University Park and graduated from Highland Park High School in 1935. He was enrolled at SMU when Pearl Harbor was attacked and was soon accepted into the Army Air Corps. He was a bombardier/navigator on B-26 Marauders during World War II and flew three missions on D-Day. He was shot down on his 27th mission while over France in October 1944. He was a POW until April 1945, when his camp was liberated by Gen. George Patton crashing through the gates.

  Dr. Funk returned home to finish his degree at SMU and enroll at Southwestern Medical School on the GI Bill. He graduated from medical school in 1950, and in 1951 joined the Launey Altick Clinic in Dallas, where he practiced until 1972. He became a staff physician at Denton State School from 1972 until 1978, when he joined the Department of Human Resources in Austin, where he remained until 1982 when he retired.

  He is survived by his children and grandchildren: Margaret E. Funk; Presley Clyde Funk IV; William E. Funk; Dr. Paul L. Funk (a fourth-generation doctor), his wife, Susan, and their children Leeann and Layton Funk; Robert Theron Funk, his wife, Lindi, and their daughter, Meredith Boyer, his first wife, Cathy Purcell Funk, and their children, R.T. Funk (a fifth-generation doctor) and Justin Funk. He is also survived by his sister, Ada M. Terry, of Midland, Texas, as well as many dear nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

  A graveside memorial service will be held at a later date. Please honor him with donations to Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch, P.O. Box 1980, Amarillo, Texas 79174-0001, Southwestern Medical School of Dallas or the charity of your choice.

• Winnetka Heights Resident Loved Community, Animals

  A graveside service for the family and close friends of Vicki Fitzgerald is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at New Zion United Methodist Church in Atoka, Okla. Plans for a local memorial were still pending as of this morning.

  Fitzgerald’s sister, Susan Jones, sent the following obituary information today:

  Vicki was born in Austin, Texas on February 2, 1954. She was raised in Mesquite, Texas, graduating from North Mesquite High School in 1972. Vicki’s career choice was the cosmetic industry, beginning as a makeup artist and finishing her career as an account executive. She worked for many companies, including Chanel, La Prairie and Escada.

  Vicki met her soul mate, Richard Fitzgerald, in 1984 and married in 1985. Soon after marrying, they realized their dream of owning a historical home in Oak Cliff in 1998. Vick quickly became a beloved fixture of the community.  As well as participating in the growth and preservation of all things associated with Oak Cliff, Vicki enjoyed volunteering her time to many organizations for the community, such as the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League Home Tour and the Winnetka Heights Neighborhood Assn. Heights by Candlelight Home Tour. Vicki was also on the Executive Board of Directors of the Oak Cliff Society of Fine Arts, which is located in the historical district of Oak Cliff. As a result of her dedication to Oak Cliff, Vicki was loved by so many. On August 22nd, Vicki and Richard’s friends held a benefit in their honor. Over 400 people were in attendance. The family was overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity and love.

  Vicki also devoted much of her time to another passion, rescuing and protecting animals.

  Vicki was preceded in death by her mother, Kathryn Ruth McDaniel, and father, Robert Walton Vaughn.  Vicki is survived by her husband, Richard Fitzgerald, of Oak Cliff;  her son Brandon; son and daughter-in-law Justin and Jennifer; son Patrick Earl and daughter-in-law Emily McKenzie; grandchildren James Allen, Justin Ryan and Jarod Richard; and Lizzie, Marcus, and Alyssa; stepmother Jan Vaughn; stepfather John McDaniel; siblings and their families: Robert Walton Jr (Pete) and Anita Vaughn, Rick Vaughn, Susan Jones and Ron Guthrie, Ed and Denise Vaughn, and Cheryl and Gary Howe; Ken and Heather Vaughn; and nieces and nephews Steven, Christina, Samantha, Alden, Taylor, Jeremiah, Heather, Shannon, and Cameron. Vicki also leaves behind a long line of dear friends, too numerous to mention but they all know who they are.

  Pick up Friday’s issue of Oak Cliff People for a full story about Fitzgerald.