Charities donor Agnes Trill Funk dies

Agnes Trill Funk turned almost every special occasion -- even her 75th birthday party -- into fundraisers. Friends said she opened her heart to children in need, supporting several Long Island charities.

Funk, who lived in Upper Brookville, died of heart failure Tuesday. She was 79.

"She had the most peaceful death," said Sandra Bondy of Old Brookville, Funk's friend for 18 years. "Her heart just gave out."

Born in Brooklyn on Sept. 22, 1931, Funk was the youngest of seven children. Her father was a steel rigger and her mother, among other jobs, worked at a hand grenade factory during World War II.

After graduating from high school in Brooklyn, Funk became a secretary for Woolworth Co. in Manhattan. There, her passion for helping others took hold. She collected a dollar a week from each of the 50 female employees, planning trips they otherwise couldn't afford. She rented buses and took them out to restaurants and nightspots.

"She was special," said Bondy, noting that Funk owned more than 100 wigs, ranging from blonde to red. "She was bigger than life."

She met her husband, John Funk, in 1966 while performing with him in the musical comedy "Late Love," in which she was cast as his wife. They were wed two years later, a marriage that would last 35 years -- ending with his death in 2003.

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She never had children of her own, but she had four stepchildren, six step-grandchildren and two godchildren that she helped raise, Bondy said.

Funk worked with several nonprofits, volunteering her time and money, which she made from stock investments. She contributed mainly to charities for children, including The Gift of Life, which helps needy children with life-threatening heart ailments get treatment. She personally sponsored 25 children and was presented the organization's Angel Award for her efforts about 10 years ago.

She donated $1 million in 2004 to the Thomas Hartman Foundation for Parkinson's Research, based in East Islip, in support of her friend, Msgr. Thomas Hartman, who has the disease. In 2005, she was named Lady of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem for her devotion to the Roman Catholic Church and her philanthropy.

"She loved people and she gave," Bondy said. "That was what she enjoyed doing the most."

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A memorial service was Thursday and Friday at Whitting Funeral Home in Glen Head. Funeral Mass was Saturday at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Brookville. She was buried in Pinelawn Memorial Park. She is survived by a brother, Raymond Trill, of California.