Annie Clemmer Funk (12 April 1874 15 April 1912) was an American

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

missionary and one of the more than 1500 people who died in the sinking of . Since 1906, she had been a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

in the Janjgir-Champa district in

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prade ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. She was on her way to visit her ailing mother.

Early life

Annie Funk was born on 12 April 1874, in the small town of

Bally, Pennsylvania Bally is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,090 at the 2010 census. History Bally was originally called Goshenhoppen, possibly deriving from an Indian word meaning meeting place. Others claim the name de ...

. Her ancestors, who settled there in the 1700s, were

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

emigrants from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Miss Funk attended the State Normal School at West Chester. Her home congregation, the Hereford General Conference Mennonite Church, where her father was a deacon for 25 years, nurtured her interest in missions from childhood. She attended the Northfield Bible Training School in

Northfield, Massachusetts Northfield is a New England town, town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. Northfield was first settled in 1673. The population was 2,866 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts ...

that

D. L. Moody Dwight Lyman Moody (February 5, 1837 – December 26, 1899), also known as D. L. Moody, was an American evangelist and publisher connected with Keswickianism, who founded the Moody Church, Northfield School and Mount Hermon School in Massa ...

had begun. After graduation, she worked with the immigrants in the slums of

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

and

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Thus, her dream of being a missionary was realized in December 1906, when she was sent to

as the first female Mennonite missionary. Annie arrived in India and served in Janjgir-Champa district, in

. In 1908, she opened a one-room school and hostel for poor girls. The school initially taught 17 students. She also learned

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

during her stay. The school was later renamed the Annie C Funk Memorial School. Only the outer walls survive today, with a small plaque which describes her life and her death.

Death

Funk's work was interrupted by a telegram which read, "Come home at once. Mother very ill. Have purchased on two ships, Pater Shelly." Though she was not told that her mother was close to death, Annie made her travel plans quickly. After a long journey to

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, she learned that the ship that would take her to America would be delayed by a coal strike. Her booking was transferred to . She bought her second class ticket for £13. ''Titanic'' left Southampton on April 10, 1912. When on the fourth day of the voyage the ship struck an iceberg, Funk lost her life after (an unconfirmed story holds) giving up her lifeboat seat to a mother and a child. Her body, if recovered, was never identified. Annie Funk Grave Stone

A memorial at the Hereford Mennonite Church Cemetery, Pennsylvania recites: A documentary titled ''Remembering Annie Funk'' was scheduled to be screened in her home state, Pennsylvania, according to Mennonite Heritage Centre website.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Funk, Annie 1874 births 1912 deaths Deaths on the RMS Titanic Protestant missionaries in India People from Janjgir-Champa district People from Berks County, Pennsylvania American people of German descent American Protestant missionaries American Mennonites Mennonite missionaries Female Christian missionaries American expatriates in India 20th-century American women 20th-century American people 19th-century American women 19th-century American people