The son of Carl Joseph Funk and Caroline Eve "Carrie" Caselton, Delbert lived with his family in Calhoun County, Illinois. They moved to Hardin, Illinois around 1927.
Delbert's mother died in 1933. After that, he lived with his father and worked on the family farm and orchard.
On 25 Nov 1938, Delbert went hunting with his brother, Eldon, and a friend. Eldon slipped in the snow while he was handing Delbert a gun that afternoon. A twig caused the gun to discharge, striking Delbert in the abdomen and chest.
The friend ran for help while Delbert's brother stayed with him. A doctor administered first aid in the field, then helped transport him to Hardin by ambulance. He was then taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Alton, Illinois where he died of internal hemorrhages and shock. At the time of his death, Delbert was 17 years, 2 months and 7 days old.
He was survived by his father, Carl; 2 sisters, Dorothy and Doris; and 3 brothers, James, Eldon and Norman.
Delbert was preceded in death by his mother, Carrie.
Burial took place on 28 Nov 1937.
Children: None.
Delbert's siblings:
Dorothy Bernice Funk Flanigan
Doris Audrey Funk Etter
James Ellis Funk
Eldon Raymond Funk
Norman Joseph Funk
----------
Newspaper article excerpts:
Calhoun Youth
Fatally Shot In
Hunting Mishap
Gun Discharges as It Is
Being Handed to Him
By Brother
Succumbs In Hospital
Delbert William Funk, 18 [sic]
Victim of Accident
On Farm
Excitement over the fact that a rabbit was sitting beneath a brush pile and was an easy mark for a quick shot brought about a fatal accident Friday afternoon on a farm five miles south of Hardin.
Delbert William Funk, 17 [sic], son of Carl Funk, a farmer near Batchtown, was shot and fatally injured when the shotgun handed to him by his younger brother, Eldon, 14, through a brush pile was accidentally discharged by contact with a twig.
Funk, who had gone hunting with his brother and a neighboring boy, Russell Baker, 14, was struck in the right side by the discharge, the shot penetrating the upper abdomen and lower portions of the lung.
Russell ran immediately for help to his home, where his brother called Dr. Skeele of Hardin and then went to the aid of the injured boy. Dr. Skeele took the boy to Hardin for emergency first aid and later transferred him to St. Joseph's Hospital in Alton, where he was prepared for a blood transfusion. He expired bfore [sic] the transfusion could be given, death being attributed to internal hemorrhages and shock.
The accident occurred at 2:30 p.m. The boy was brought to St. Joseph's Hospital at 6:20 and died at 7:10.
The three boys had gone hunting at noon. Delbert carried a gun he had borrowed from his father. The gun was a double-barreled 16-gauge hammerless Ithaca type.
Russell Baker, the neighbor boy, had a gun but had no shells for it. When the accident occurred, Delbert was sitting on a brush pile and Eldon was crouching nearby. Both were on the lookout for a rabbit they had been attempting to corner in the brush. Russell Baker was standing about 30 feet away.
Delbert saw the rabbit crouching in the brush and told Eldon to hand him the gun quickly so he could shoot the rabbit before it got away. Eldon reached out to hand the gun to him, and as he did so his foot slipped in the snow. He had handed the gun to his brother, barrel first, in the excitement of the moment and when he slipped the full discharge of the weapon caught Delbert in the right side.
Eldon could not tell whether his brother had succeeded in grasping the gun before the discharge. Carl Funk, the father, said today, the gun was "quick on the trigger" and was apt to be discharged by contact with a twig.
Eldon helped Delbert from the brush pile and stayed with him while the Baker boy ran for help to the farmhouse. Emergency first aid was given on the spot by Dr. Skeele, who then transported the boy to Hardin in an ambulance and later to St. Joseph's Hospital here.
In addition to his father, Carl Funk, the victim of the hunting fatality, is survived by two sisters and three brothers. The sisters are Mrs. Leo Flannigan of Hardin and Miss Doris Funk. The brothers are James, Elden [sic] and Norman. Delbert's mother died seven years ago.
Since finishing school, Delbert had lived at home with his father, assisting on the farm and orchard. Eldon and Norman live in Hardin with their sister, Doris, where they attend school. They had been visiting their father over the Thanksgiving Day holidays.
Delbert's body was moved to Hardin Friday night and today was taken to the home of his sister and brother-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Leo Flannigan, where it will rest until time of the funeral.
Funeral rites are to be at 9 a.m., Monday, probably at St. Norbert's Church in Hardin, with burial in the cemetery at Batchtown.
(Alton Evening Telegraph; 26 Nov 1938; pp. 1-2)
Note: All spelling, capitalization and punctuation marks in excerpts are exactly as they appeared in the original text.
Delbert's mother died in 1933. After that, he lived with his father and worked on the family farm and orchard.
On 25 Nov 1938, Delbert went hunting with his brother, Eldon, and a friend. Eldon slipped in the snow while he was handing Delbert a gun that afternoon. A twig caused the gun to discharge, striking Delbert in the abdomen and chest.
The friend ran for help while Delbert's brother stayed with him. A doctor administered first aid in the field, then helped transport him to Hardin by ambulance. He was then taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Alton, Illinois where he died of internal hemorrhages and shock. At the time of his death, Delbert was 17 years, 2 months and 7 days old.
He was survived by his father, Carl; 2 sisters, Dorothy and Doris; and 3 brothers, James, Eldon and Norman.
Delbert was preceded in death by his mother, Carrie.
Burial took place on 28 Nov 1937.
Children: None.
Delbert's siblings:
Dorothy Bernice Funk Flanigan
Doris Audrey Funk Etter
James Ellis Funk
Eldon Raymond Funk
Norman Joseph Funk
----------
Newspaper article excerpts:
Calhoun Youth
Fatally Shot In
Hunting Mishap
Gun Discharges as It Is
Being Handed to Him
By Brother
Succumbs In Hospital
Delbert William Funk, 18 [sic]
Victim of Accident
On Farm
Excitement over the fact that a rabbit was sitting beneath a brush pile and was an easy mark for a quick shot brought about a fatal accident Friday afternoon on a farm five miles south of Hardin.
Delbert William Funk, 17 [sic], son of Carl Funk, a farmer near Batchtown, was shot and fatally injured when the shotgun handed to him by his younger brother, Eldon, 14, through a brush pile was accidentally discharged by contact with a twig.
Funk, who had gone hunting with his brother and a neighboring boy, Russell Baker, 14, was struck in the right side by the discharge, the shot penetrating the upper abdomen and lower portions of the lung.
Russell ran immediately for help to his home, where his brother called Dr. Skeele of Hardin and then went to the aid of the injured boy. Dr. Skeele took the boy to Hardin for emergency first aid and later transferred him to St. Joseph's Hospital in Alton, where he was prepared for a blood transfusion. He expired bfore [sic] the transfusion could be given, death being attributed to internal hemorrhages and shock.
The accident occurred at 2:30 p.m. The boy was brought to St. Joseph's Hospital at 6:20 and died at 7:10.
The three boys had gone hunting at noon. Delbert carried a gun he had borrowed from his father. The gun was a double-barreled 16-gauge hammerless Ithaca type.
Russell Baker, the neighbor boy, had a gun but had no shells for it. When the accident occurred, Delbert was sitting on a brush pile and Eldon was crouching nearby. Both were on the lookout for a rabbit they had been attempting to corner in the brush. Russell Baker was standing about 30 feet away.
Delbert saw the rabbit crouching in the brush and told Eldon to hand him the gun quickly so he could shoot the rabbit before it got away. Eldon reached out to hand the gun to him, and as he did so his foot slipped in the snow. He had handed the gun to his brother, barrel first, in the excitement of the moment and when he slipped the full discharge of the weapon caught Delbert in the right side.
Eldon could not tell whether his brother had succeeded in grasping the gun before the discharge. Carl Funk, the father, said today, the gun was "quick on the trigger" and was apt to be discharged by contact with a twig.
Eldon helped Delbert from the brush pile and stayed with him while the Baker boy ran for help to the farmhouse. Emergency first aid was given on the spot by Dr. Skeele, who then transported the boy to Hardin in an ambulance and later to St. Joseph's Hospital here.
In addition to his father, Carl Funk, the victim of the hunting fatality, is survived by two sisters and three brothers. The sisters are Mrs. Leo Flannigan of Hardin and Miss Doris Funk. The brothers are James, Elden [sic] and Norman. Delbert's mother died seven years ago.
Since finishing school, Delbert had lived at home with his father, assisting on the farm and orchard. Eldon and Norman live in Hardin with their sister, Doris, where they attend school. They had been visiting their father over the Thanksgiving Day holidays.
Delbert's body was moved to Hardin Friday night and today was taken to the home of his sister and brother-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Leo Flannigan, where it will rest until time of the funeral.
Funeral rites are to be at 9 a.m., Monday, probably at St. Norbert's Church in Hardin, with burial in the cemetery at Batchtown.
(Alton Evening Telegraph; 26 Nov 1938; pp. 1-2)
Note: All spelling, capitalization and punctuation marks in excerpts are exactly as they appeared in the original text.
The son of Carl Joseph Funk and Caroline Eve "Carrie" Caselton, Delbert lived with his family in Calhoun County, Illinois. They moved to Hardin, Illinois around 1927.
Delbert's mother died in 1933. After that, he lived with his father and worked on the family farm and orchard.
On 25 Nov 1938, Delbert went hunting with his brother, Eldon, and a friend. Eldon slipped in the snow while he was handing Delbert a gun that afternoon. A twig caused the gun to discharge, striking Delbert in the abdomen and chest.
The friend ran for help while Delbert's brother stayed with him. A doctor administered first aid in the field, then helped transport him to Hardin by ambulance. He was then taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Alton, Illinois where he died of internal hemorrhages and shock. At the time of his death, Delbert was 17 years, 2 months and 7 days old.
He was survived by his father, Carl; 2 sisters, Dorothy and Doris; and 3 brothers, James, Eldon and Norman.
Delbert was preceded in death by his mother, Carrie.
Burial took place on 28 Nov 1937.
Children: None.
Delbert's siblings:
Dorothy Bernice Funk Flanigan
Doris Audrey Funk Etter
James Ellis Funk
Eldon Raymond Funk
Norman Joseph Funk
----------
Newspaper article excerpts:
Calhoun Youth
Fatally Shot In
Hunting Mishap
Gun Discharges as It Is
Being Handed to Him
By Brother
Succumbs In Hospital
Delbert William Funk, 18 [sic]
Victim of Accident
On Farm
Excitement over the fact that a rabbit was sitting beneath a brush pile and was an easy mark for a quick shot brought about a fatal accident Friday afternoon on a farm five miles south of Hardin.
Delbert William Funk, 17 [sic], son of Carl Funk, a farmer near Batchtown, was shot and fatally injured when the shotgun handed to him by his younger brother, Eldon, 14, through a brush pile was accidentally discharged by contact with a twig.
Funk, who had gone hunting with his brother and a neighboring boy, Russell Baker, 14, was struck in the right side by the discharge, the shot penetrating the upper abdomen and lower portions of the lung.
Russell ran immediately for help to his home, where his brother called Dr. Skeele of Hardin and then went to the aid of the injured boy. Dr. Skeele took the boy to Hardin for emergency first aid and later transferred him to St. Joseph's Hospital in Alton, where he was prepared for a blood transfusion. He expired bfore [sic] the transfusion could be given, death being attributed to internal hemorrhages and shock.
The accident occurred at 2:30 p.m. The boy was brought to St. Joseph's Hospital at 6:20 and died at 7:10.
The three boys had gone hunting at noon. Delbert carried a gun he had borrowed from his father. The gun was a double-barreled 16-gauge hammerless Ithaca type.
Russell Baker, the neighbor boy, had a gun but had no shells for it. When the accident occurred, Delbert was sitting on a brush pile and Eldon was crouching nearby. Both were on the lookout for a rabbit they had been attempting to corner in the brush. Russell Baker was standing about 30 feet away.
Delbert saw the rabbit crouching in the brush and told Eldon to hand him the gun quickly so he could shoot the rabbit before it got away. Eldon reached out to hand the gun to him, and as he did so his foot slipped in the snow. He had handed the gun to his brother, barrel first, in the excitement of the moment and when he slipped the full discharge of the weapon caught Delbert in the right side.
Eldon could not tell whether his brother had succeeded in grasping the gun before the discharge. Carl Funk, the father, said today, the gun was "quick on the trigger" and was apt to be discharged by contact with a twig.
Eldon helped Delbert from the brush pile and stayed with him while the Baker boy ran for help to the farmhouse. Emergency first aid was given on the spot by Dr. Skeele, who then transported the boy to Hardin in an ambulance and later to St. Joseph's Hospital here.
In addition to his father, Carl Funk, the victim of the hunting fatality, is survived by two sisters and three brothers. The sisters are Mrs. Leo Flannigan of Hardin and Miss Doris Funk. The brothers are James, Elden [sic] and Norman. Delbert's mother died seven years ago.
Since finishing school, Delbert had lived at home with his father, assisting on the farm and orchard. Eldon and Norman live in Hardin with their sister, Doris, where they attend school. They had been visiting their father over the Thanksgiving Day holidays.
Delbert's body was moved to Hardin Friday night and today was taken to the home of his sister and brother-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Leo Flannigan, where it will rest until time of the funeral.
Funeral rites are to be at 9 a.m., Monday, probably at St. Norbert's Church in Hardin, with burial in the cemetery at Batchtown.
(Alton Evening Telegraph; 26 Nov 1938; pp. 1-2)
Note: All spelling, capitalization and punctuation marks in excerpts are exactly as they appeared in the original text.
Delbert's mother died in 1933. After that, he lived with his father and worked on the family farm and orchard.
On 25 Nov 1938, Delbert went hunting with his brother, Eldon, and a friend. Eldon slipped in the snow while he was handing Delbert a gun that afternoon. A twig caused the gun to discharge, striking Delbert in the abdomen and chest.
The friend ran for help while Delbert's brother stayed with him. A doctor administered first aid in the field, then helped transport him to Hardin by ambulance. He was then taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Alton, Illinois where he died of internal hemorrhages and shock. At the time of his death, Delbert was 17 years, 2 months and 7 days old.
He was survived by his father, Carl; 2 sisters, Dorothy and Doris; and 3 brothers, James, Eldon and Norman.
Delbert was preceded in death by his mother, Carrie.
Burial took place on 28 Nov 1937.
Children: None.
Delbert's siblings:
Dorothy Bernice Funk Flanigan
Doris Audrey Funk Etter
James Ellis Funk
Eldon Raymond Funk
Norman Joseph Funk
----------
Newspaper article excerpts:
Calhoun Youth
Fatally Shot In
Hunting Mishap
Gun Discharges as It Is
Being Handed to Him
By Brother
Succumbs In Hospital
Delbert William Funk, 18 [sic]
Victim of Accident
On Farm
Excitement over the fact that a rabbit was sitting beneath a brush pile and was an easy mark for a quick shot brought about a fatal accident Friday afternoon on a farm five miles south of Hardin.
Delbert William Funk, 17 [sic], son of Carl Funk, a farmer near Batchtown, was shot and fatally injured when the shotgun handed to him by his younger brother, Eldon, 14, through a brush pile was accidentally discharged by contact with a twig.
Funk, who had gone hunting with his brother and a neighboring boy, Russell Baker, 14, was struck in the right side by the discharge, the shot penetrating the upper abdomen and lower portions of the lung.
Russell ran immediately for help to his home, where his brother called Dr. Skeele of Hardin and then went to the aid of the injured boy. Dr. Skeele took the boy to Hardin for emergency first aid and later transferred him to St. Joseph's Hospital in Alton, where he was prepared for a blood transfusion. He expired bfore [sic] the transfusion could be given, death being attributed to internal hemorrhages and shock.
The accident occurred at 2:30 p.m. The boy was brought to St. Joseph's Hospital at 6:20 and died at 7:10.
The three boys had gone hunting at noon. Delbert carried a gun he had borrowed from his father. The gun was a double-barreled 16-gauge hammerless Ithaca type.
Russell Baker, the neighbor boy, had a gun but had no shells for it. When the accident occurred, Delbert was sitting on a brush pile and Eldon was crouching nearby. Both were on the lookout for a rabbit they had been attempting to corner in the brush. Russell Baker was standing about 30 feet away.
Delbert saw the rabbit crouching in the brush and told Eldon to hand him the gun quickly so he could shoot the rabbit before it got away. Eldon reached out to hand the gun to him, and as he did so his foot slipped in the snow. He had handed the gun to his brother, barrel first, in the excitement of the moment and when he slipped the full discharge of the weapon caught Delbert in the right side.
Eldon could not tell whether his brother had succeeded in grasping the gun before the discharge. Carl Funk, the father, said today, the gun was "quick on the trigger" and was apt to be discharged by contact with a twig.
Eldon helped Delbert from the brush pile and stayed with him while the Baker boy ran for help to the farmhouse. Emergency first aid was given on the spot by Dr. Skeele, who then transported the boy to Hardin in an ambulance and later to St. Joseph's Hospital here.
In addition to his father, Carl Funk, the victim of the hunting fatality, is survived by two sisters and three brothers. The sisters are Mrs. Leo Flannigan of Hardin and Miss Doris Funk. The brothers are James, Elden [sic] and Norman. Delbert's mother died seven years ago.
Since finishing school, Delbert had lived at home with his father, assisting on the farm and orchard. Eldon and Norman live in Hardin with their sister, Doris, where they attend school. They had been visiting their father over the Thanksgiving Day holidays.
Delbert's body was moved to Hardin Friday night and today was taken to the home of his sister and brother-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Leo Flannigan, where it will rest until time of the funeral.
Funeral rites are to be at 9 a.m., Monday, probably at St. Norbert's Church in Hardin, with burial in the cemetery at Batchtown.
(Alton Evening Telegraph; 26 Nov 1938; pp. 1-2)
Note: All spelling, capitalization and punctuation marks in excerpts are exactly as they appeared in the original text.
Gravesite Details
Incorrect dates engraved on stone. Correct dates taken from Illinois death records and Delbert's obituary.
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