Ernestine Funk Hale

Ernestine Funk Hale, 89, of Owensboro, died Wednesday, December 16, 2009, at her home. She was born March 17, 1920 to the late John and Pearl Patton Funk in Ohio County. Following a wartime job building Republic's P-47 fighter planes, she worked at GE where she met and married Willis Allen Hale in 1958. She became a stay-at-home mom dedicated to becoming a homemaker, and raising Lynne and Larry until they graduated from college in 1973. At that time, she took a job at McDonalds, where she worked for 33 years, retiring in 2006 at the age of 86. She was a member of Clear Run Baptist in Ohio County, and Third Baptist Church in Owensboro, and was a faithful member of AFC Sunday school class. She was an avid sports fan and gardener, and loved her family, church, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and customers, and will be deeply missed by all of them.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Willis Allen Hale, and her daughter, Deanne Flaherty.

Survivors include her children; Larry (Pat) Hale of Owensboro, Lynne (Joe) Duff of Clarkson; eight grandchildren; her sister, Eythel Tipton of Hartford; a nephew, Doy (Vickie) Tipton, and a niece, Marilyn Jo (Cecil) Stiff; several great-grandchildren, and several great-nieces and great-nephews.

Services will be 12:00 PM Saturday, at Glenn Funeral Home and Crematory with burial in Owensboro Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be 4:00 PM until 8:00 PM Friday and after 9:00 AM Saturday at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to the Third Baptist Church Memorial Fund, or Clear Run Baptist Church.