Berdell Funke

Berdell Robert Funke, age 93, died on November 25, 2020 at Sanford Hospice house in Fargo, ND. Berdell was born December 19, 1926 in Blue Hill Nebraska, the youngest child of Edward and Bertha Funke. His father ran the family grocery store, but the store failed during the Great Depression. The family eventually moved to Topeka, Kansas where Berdell graduated from Topeka High School. His father died when he was a teenager which led to Berdell working at a young age to help support the family. His jobs included selling women’s shoes, working at the post office, and collecting tickets at a movie theater. He eventually became a movie theater manager at several movie theaters. It is at one of those theaters that he first met Patricia Pacha. Berdell and Patricia were united in marriage August 17, 1957 in Marysville Kansas. Patricia was warned “If you marry that bookworm you will be the sorriest woman that ever lived,” but she married him anyway, and they were blessed with three children, James, Douglas, and Susan. Berdell was concerned about the future of movie theaters with the advent of TV, so he decided to attend college. His true love was geology, but his fear of the math courses required led him to pursue a degree in Microbiology. He received his undergraduate, masters, and doctoral degrees all from Kansas State University. After graduating, he accepted a position in the Microbiology department at North Dakota State University. He worked there from 1964 until his retirement in 1997. During his career at NDSU, he taught multiple courses and published numerous papers. As a side job, he started editing textbook chapters and it turned out he was very good at it. He was eventually asked to become the co-author of a microbiology textbook. Little did he know this book, Microbiology: An Introduction by Tortora, Funke, and Case, would become the bestselling microbiology textbook in the world. It is currently in its 13th edition, has been translated into 12 languages, and has been used by more than one million undergraduate microbiology students. In December 2019 Berdell received an honorary doctorate from NDSU. The Bison statue he was given at the awards ceremony was a source of great pride for him. His name will live on at NDSU through the Berdell Funke Microbiology Scholarship and the Dr. Berdell Funke Medal of Excellence in Microbiology, which is presented each year to an outstanding graduate. Berdell was a voracious reader, subscribing to dozens of magazines and reading books on a wide variety of subjects. Jeopardy was one of his favorite shows, and he loved to gloat when he knew the answer to final Jeopardy and none of the “geniuses” on the show got it right. He enjoyed old movies; Holiday Inn was one of his favorites, as well as anything with Mitzi Gaynor in it. He loved to travel. He and Patricia went on many trips both in the United States and abroad, including New Zealand/Australia and many countries in Europe. When Patricia tired of travel, he went on trips with his children: Colorado Jeep trips with Jim, China with Doug, and Hawaii and Alaska with Sue. Many great memories were made. Berdell is survived by his wife of 63 years, Patricia, his three children, Jim (Jeri Jo) Funke of Minneapolis, Doug (Cindy) Funke of Savage, Sue (Kevin) Dill of Fargo, and his six grandchildren, Jackson and Jamie Funke, Austin and Rachel Funke, and Eric and Jude Dill. He was preceded in death by his parents Edward and Bertha, and siblings Charles and Betty Jane. The family would like to give special thanks to the caring, compassionate nurses and staff at Sanford Hospice house. Your help in this difficult journey was greatly appreciated by Berdell and his family. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Boulger Funeral Home. A private family service will be held, with interment at Holy Cross Cemetery in north Fargo. Online condolences and memories can be shared at www.boulgerfuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, memorials appreciated to Berdell Funke Microbiology Scholarship, NDSU Foundation, 1241 N University Dr, Fargo, ND 58102.