With shock and tremendous sadness, we learned that our friend and longstanding Rotarian, Tom Funk, had passed away suddenly at home on March 29th, 2026. We had enjoyed his company at our weekly Rotary Club of Guelph meeting just two days earlier. We have truly lost one of our “Greats”, and his legacy will live on. We send our heartfelt condolences to his family. Obituary.
We send our heartfelt condolences to Jane, his wife of 55 years, their son Justin (also a member of our club), Justin's wife Elisha, and their two children (Tom's absolutely beloved grandchildren), Isabelle and Frederick.
A warm tribute from Rotarian Anne Mackay:
For so many, Tom was the person who met with us to explain the commitment of Rotary when we first considered joining. He was also a member who continued to be a welcoming energy over the years, with his thoughtful curiosity about the activities of members, including his Rotary Rewind interviews of veteran Rotarians.
While many may have known Tom through his teaching and business, he truly twinkled when he spoke of his family. I think we all remember special days when the Funk gentlemen came out in their natty attire to a Friday lunch.
We were all shocked by Tom's sudden death on March 29. Our members will form a Rotary Honour Guard at his funeral.
A tribute to Tom's professional life
Agricultural Educator and Industry Leader Dr Tom Funk Remembered for Lasting Influence
Some of Tom's contributions to our club, as recorded by our Club Secretary, Kerry Johnson
- At the start of his year as Club President (1991-1992), Tom did away with the traditional Head Table at club meetings. It used to be on a raised platform with 5-6 chairs overlooking the room. Instead he sat at a table at floor level, at the front of the room close to where the past head table used to be, making the point that he was on the same level as everyone else. This was how Tom lived by example. Following his year as President, attendees somehow tended to avoid the “President” table and when forced to use it when other seating was full, the table was jokingly referred to as the Tom Funk Memorial Table.
- As Sergeant-at-Arms (2014-2015), Tom could always find a unique reason for “fines”. He introduced the "Too Good To Be True" acknowledgement of members who contributed well above Service Above Self.
- Tom was a key contributor in the design and running of our occasional Rotary Rewind programs at club meetings, conducting armchair interviews with longstanding Rotarians or other special guests. Always well prepared, Tom's gentle questions and prompts were perfect, putting the guest at ease and eliciting the most interesting information for members in the audience which often included the guest's family and friends. Tom always made people feel good.
When our club celebrated its centennial in 2020, Tom took on a major project as writer/editor of our book “100 Years of Service Above Self, Rotary In Guelph 1920-2020, A History of the Rotary Club Of Guelph”. Tom's son Justin (also a member of our club) played a key role in the production. The book remains a precious asset of members who purchased a copy. It can be viewed as a PDF online here.- When other Rotarians in our club passed away, Tom was often our “go to” person to write and present wonderful eulogies that were added to the historical records of our club. Tom was gifted in what to say and had an elegant way of honouring others.
- Tom served on our club's board many times. He was a Director 1987-88, 1988-89, 2nd VP 1989-1990, VP 1990-91, President 1991-92, Past President 1992-93.
- He was also a member of the Classification and Membership Committee starting in 1995-96. He was a master at setting classification titles that appropriately reflected a member's profession.
- In mid-2007, Tom was appointed Membership Secretary and held this position for 15 years until mid-2022 when he handed over the reigns to Michele Richardson. For each membership proposal approved by the Board, Tom would arrange for a meeting with the potential member, the proposer and himself. He would outline the ideals of Rotary International, club activities and requirements. At the time, attendance at club meetings was important. However, Tom became opposed to the publication of attendance records on a semi-annual basis because he felt it was a discouragement and would lead to resignations by members who contributed in many ways but could not meet the attendance requirements. He also ran orientation workshops twice a year to help new members learn key information about Rotary and find their niche in our club, and he regularly followed up with individuals with sincere interest in how they were doing in life generally and also in their Rotary involvement.
- Not well known to the general membership was how often Tom served as a mentor to club members who were starting up a business or were struggling with business issues. Tom kept member issues totally confidential and was highly regarded for his wise counsel.
- The records show that Tom served on many different committees over time, and often for multiple years. The following list may not even be complete!
- Chair of Rotary Foundation Committee
- Vocational Services member
- Fundraising Committee member
- Family Of Rotary Committee (This was to plan and organize events to promote fellowship within the club and Rotary family, send expressions of support to members, reach out to support other Rotary Clubs, etc.)
- Member of the Rotary Club of Guelph Charitable Foundation
- Rural & Urban Committee
- Fellowship/Friendship/Interclub Committee
- Fellowship Interclub Committee
- Literacy/Numeracy Committee
- Club History Committee
- Priogram Committee
- Rotary Information Committee
- Bulletin Co-Chair
- World Community Services Committee
- Hospice Committee