John Funderburk Jr. didn't join the Boy Scouts as a kid in rural Middle Georgia.
In the 1930s, there were no Scouts in Flovilla, a speck of a town near Macon.
What Mr. Funderburk lacked in childhood he accounted for as an adult. When John Funderburk III got involved with the Boy Scouts, so did his father. The elder Funderburk was an assistant troop leader.
"He enjoyed seeing people succeed, not just me," said his son, an Eagle Scout who lives in Albany. "He wanted to see the best come out of everybody. He gave 100 percent and he expected everybody else to give 100 percent, too."
When his son reached adulthood, Mr. Funderburk still supported the Scouts. In Valdosta, the Georgia Tech grad was heavily involved with the Alapaha Area Council. For that, he was awarded the Silver Beaver award, one of the highest council-level honors a Scouts volunteer can receive.
"He thought the Scouts were a great use of his time and resources," said a daughter, Amy Henderson of Tallahassee. "He thought it was a great way for him to give back to the community and make a difference. He was a fervent supporter."
On Monday, John Carl Funderburk Jr. of Valdosta, formerly of Atlanta and Macon, died at Select Specialty Hospital in Tallahassee from complications of surgery. He was 86. The funeral will be 11 a.m. Thursday at First Presbyterian Church in Valdosta. Carson McLane Funeral Home in Valdosta is in charge of arrangements.
After graduating from Jackson High School, Mr. Funderburk enrolled at Georgia Tech to study electrical engineering. He joined the Army during his sophomore year, and served three years in the Army Signal Corps during World War II. He returned to Tech and completed his degree in 1947.
After college, he was hired by Georgia Power, where he spent 42 years in various positions in Macon, Atlanta and finally Valdosta. He retired as division operating manager in 1989.
Mr. Funderburk's civic involvement stretched beyond the Boy Scouts. He'd been a president of the Middle Georgia Georgia Tech Alumni Club and had held various positions with the Valdosta Kiwanis Club. He'd served on the board of the Valdosta/Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce and had been active at First Presbyterian Church in Valdosta.
He met his wife of 54 years, the late Frances Hammond Funderburk, on a blind date. She was a 1947 graduate of the University of Georgia. When the Bulldogs played Tech, the couple showed respect.
"They watched in separate rooms," their son said.
Mr. Funderburk had been especially excited that a grandson, Will Henderson of Tallahassee, had embarked on an Eagle Scout project. He plans to rebuild an aviary at the St. Francis Wildlife Association, a rehabilitation facility in north Florida.
"One of [Mr. Funderburk's] goals was to see him get his Eagle badge," his daughter said. "He didn't quite make it, but he knew about the project."
Additional survivors include two brothers, Cliff Funderburk of Jonesboro and Johnson Funderburk of Charleston, S.C.; a sister, Becky Dodson of Flovilla; and two other grandsons.
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