Larry Funkhouser Obituary

Larry Funkhouser
June 9, 1921 - May 22, 2022
Larry Funkhouser was called to his heavenly home on May 22, 2022. Born in 1921 in Napoleon, Ohio, he was a mere 2 weeks shy of his 101st birthday when he passed away peacefully, 10 minutes after saying his last words, "I'm doing GOOOD!"
He was born to Edward and Margaret Funkhouser, along with older brothers Paul and Harold. He received his A.B. degree in Geology from Oberlin College in 1943 and was elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa. It was there that he met Jean, who would become his beloved wife in 1946. A lucky man!
Larry served honorably in the U.S. Air Force during World War II and was stationed in North Africa. After the war, he enrolled in Stanford University and received his M.S. degree in Geology in 1948. Soon afterward, he joined the Standard Oil Company of California (now Chevron) in New Orleans as a field geologist. After several subsequent promotions, Larry was named Director and Vice-President of Exploration and Production for Chevron Corporation in 1976. In that position, he guided Chevron's worldwide upstream activities until his retirement in 1986.
During his career, he was an active member in a number of professional and industrial societies and associations. Most notably, he served as President of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) in 1987-88, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the AAPG Foundation from 1991 to 2001. He was given the Sydney Powers Memorial Award in 2004, AAPG's highest honor. In addition, he received the Chairman's Award in 2004 and the L. Austin Weeks Memorial Medal in 2010, both prestigious AAPG Foundation awards. Oberlin College awarded him an honorary Doctor of Science degree in 1990, and in 2018, Larry was honored with Stanford University's School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences Distinguished Alumni award.
As impressive as his professional career was, he was even more acclaimed as a husband, father and friend. He and Jean had 4 children - Don, Tom, Dave and Karen. Larry and Jean were happily married for over 56 years before her untimely death in 2003. A few years later, romance was rekindled as he married another Jean in 2007, whose family has been friends with the Funkhousers since those early New Orleans days, around 70 years now.
Larry thoroughly enjoyed traveling. Upon his return from a trip, he would often exclaim, "Home. The best place on Earth!" But after a week or two in his domicile, he was usually busy planning the next adventure. He was an avid sports fan, loyally following the Giants, 49ers and Warriors throughout the decades, win or lose. Well, mostly "win." Armed with an easy smile and a sharp sense of humor, he was known to laugh until he cried on several occasions. And that laugh was contagious!
If you were a friend of Larry Funkhouser, you were a friend for life. His rolodex of close acquaintances was formidable, although he outlived most of them. He was also known as a fair and caring boss and made a point of knowing about his employees' families, as he was an early proponent of the concept of balancing work and private life.
As a dad, he was peerless. Generous, compassionate, loving and ultimate role model are just a few of the superlatives that describe his fatherly attributes. The fact that he lived so long has given the family a veritable treasure trove of memories that will be cherished forever and shared with future generations.
Larry is survived by his wife, Jean #2, and his sons Tom (Bonni) and Dave (Sue), daughter Karen and daughter-in-law Jane. Also survived by Jean's daughters Susan (Charlie) and Sara (Robert), and son Dick (Sarah). His legacy will be carried on by 6 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren, plus another on the way, assuring an adequate supply of Funkhousers for the foreseeable future.
Love you, Dad. You were awesome in every way.
******************
A private memorial service and celebration of Larry's life will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, contributions to one of the following organizations would be appreciated:
AAPG Foundation, P.O. Box 979, Tulsa, OK 74101
https://foundation.AAPG.org
Stanford School of Earth Sciences, Mitchell Building, Suite 101, Stanford, CA 94305
https://earth.stanford.edu
Oberlin College, Geology Department, 50 West Lorain Street, Oberlin, OH, 44074
www.oberlin.edu/arts-and-sciences/departments/geosciences

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Published by San Francisco Chronicle on May 26, 2022.

Memories and Condolences
for Larry Funkhouser

1 Entry

Bill Laitner

June 8, 2022

Hello to the Funkhouser clan from Michigan and from the home of Larry's life-long Oberlin friend, Alice Rice Laitner in Grosse Pointe Farms, a native of Coshocton, Ohio. I attended two Oberlin reunions and thoroughly enjoyed meeting Larry. My mother and Larry always exchanged holiday cards and often talked by phone as the new year arrived. In one of those calls, Larry talked her into buying CVX, then later encouraged her to buy more when the price dipped, and then I joined their ranks. My mother and I thank him -- and Warren Buffet should do the same!
I am sorry to hear that Larry died on May 22, a time when my mother's health was declining. She died on June 4 at age 99.
Please know that both of us deeply appreciated the lively friendship with Larry. We also benefitted from Larry's class leadership; he organized the reunions and made everyone feel welcome. My mother was very happy for him when he found his second Jean. Both Jeans, no doubt, helped him to live such a very long life, and one that was successful to the end.
Warmest wishes, Bill Laitner