Peter V.K. Funk ’43

Peter died peacefully Sept. 19, 2016, in Keene, N.H.

He prepared for Princeton at Montclair (N.J.) Academy, where he was on the football and track teams and served on the student council.

At Princeton Peter majored in biology and was a member of the track and cross-country teams. In 1942, he was the first in our class to get married. His marriage to Mary Pettit lasted for 74 years, and they had seven children.

After graduation Peter went to the South Pacific as a Marine officer. Mary left Vassar to join him in California before his deployment. Upon discharge from the Marines, Peter went into the magazine business, which led to his establishing an ecumenical magazine called Faith Today. He later left the publishing business to join the Wall Street firm of Karl Pettit & Co.

Eventually he returned to his first love, writing. Peter wrote a column for Reader’s Digest called “It Pays to Enrich Your Word Power” for many years. His many novels included My Six Loves, which was made into a movie by Paramount. Religion played a strong part in Peter’s life, and he was ordained as a deacon in the Episcopal Church.

His is survived by his wife, Mary; sons Peter, John ’67, Mark, and Paul; daughters Celine, Mary, and Eleanor; 15 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.