Nancy Wickert Funk

1951 - 2018

Nancy Wickert Funk, 66, of Ocean City, NJ (formerly of Baltimore, MD), passed away on Tuesday, February 6 after a two year battle with cancer.
She was born in Allentown, PA on April 27, 1951 to the late John D. Wickert of Camp Hill, PA and Madelyn G. Smith of Harrisburg, PA. She lived in Allentown, PA until 3rd grade when she moved with her family to Philadelphia where she became a Philadelphia Phillies fan. She later moved to Harrisburg and could often be found playing stick ball or other sports with the boys. Nancy graduated from Central Dauphin High School before enrolling in Messiah College. She graduated from Messiah with a degree in nursing and a minor in biology where she also played on the women's basketball team. She later went on to receive a masters degree from Western Maryland College (McDaniel) in postsecondary education.
After practicing nursing for several years, Nancy found her passion in coaching basketball and began a career that would span 40 years. She spent her first 9 years coaching at her alma mater, Messiah College in Grantham, PA before being recruited to Johns Hopkins University to spend the next 31 years building a legacy of wins, more than any other women's coach in any sport in school history, both on the court and off. She mentored hundreds of student athletes and impacted lives in far reaching ways.
She was an avid Major League baseball fan adopting the Baltimore Orioles as her American League team but maintaining her love for the Philadelphia Phillies all her life. Later in life, she became a football fan as well, never missing College Game Day or a Philadelphia Eagles game.
Her greatest achievements and joys in life came from her family. She is survived by her husband Dave Funk, of Ocean City, NJ (formerly Baltimore, MD), her children Jared Clelan and wife Allison Clelan, daughter Courtney Geduldig (Clelan) and fiancé Christopher Heusler, daughter Kelsey Amrhein (Funk) and son in law Mike Amrhein. She is also survived by 5 grandchildren Max, Madelyn, Adam, Graham and Avery. Kelsey and Mike will be adding two boys, Julian and Jackson in a few weeks and they will know her through their family and many stories. She enjoyed nothing more than watching Max and Adam play baseball, shopping, doing art projects and collecting decorating ideas with Maddy, doing arts and crafts and walking the beach with Avery, or listening to Graham sing. In August 2017, she was able to travel to Cooperstown, NY on a bucket list trip to spend a week watching her grandson Max play baseball.
She also leaves behind her mother, Madelyn G. Smith, 94, of Harrisburg, PA, a brother, David Wickert of Lewisberry, PA and a sister, Dianne Sullivan of Harrisburg PA and many nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her father, John D. Wickert of Camp Hill, PA.
Services will be held at Grace Fellowship in Timonium, MD on Monday, February 12 at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be sent to Coaches vs Cancer, via the American Cancer Society.
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/Events/MosaicofHope?pg=fund&fr_id=9910&pxfid=2306501 www.pennlive.com/obits