Annie Clemmer

[Darren Clossin]

The other day I finally visited the Annie Clemmer Funk memorial stone in the Hereford Mennonite Cemetery, about 10 miles from where I live. It was quite moving to actually see it, knowing she gave up her seat in a lifeboat for someone else. I forgot to take my camera along tho so I don't have any pictures of it!

 

[Kevin Perez]

Why is there not a thread about this woman? I've done my best to search one about her, but no luck! I agree, she could've just sat there in the lifeboat and done nothing, but decided to let the woman sit with her children and accept her fate.

 

[Marilyn Lena Penner]

I'm glad that she has a memorial, David. I'm Mennonite, and I did not know about Miss Funk until my brother told me. He heard about her while attending seminary in Elkhart, IN. She is an unsung heroine, as much for her work in India as for her death.

Here are two good websites. I tried to add them to her biography, but I guess I don't know how to do it right.

http://www.mbhistory.org/profiles/funk.en.html

http://www.nmhschool.org/magazine/2003_fall/missionary.asp

and an article citation in the magazine "Mennonite Life"






FUNK, ANNIE C., 1874-1912

Missionary on the Titanic. Mrs. Christena Duerksen. Ja '57, 44.

I'd be interested in finding any more information about her.

 

[Kevin Perez]

It's sad to see she died a couple of days before her 38th birthday too. As religious as this sounds, may the Lord bless her.

 

[Arthur Merchant]

Starting with Judith Gellar's book and continuing through the website's dedicated to Annie Funk is the story about how she gave up a place in a lifeboat so a steerage(?) mother could join her children already on the boat.

Has anyone verified how factual this account is? Are there any educated guesses about the identity of this woman and her children (the Sandstroms, the Toumas or the Wells for example)? Also any guesses of the boat this took place at?

 

[Katherine Laura Robinson]

I don't know how accurate the story is, but if it's true, the woman might have been Mrs. Becker at Boat 11: "I stood at the lifeboat helping my babies in. When I got them all in the boat the officer said that the boat was filled. I begged him to let me go with my children. He said it was impossible, that there were too many. I pleaded with him." She said that the officer finally pushed her in just as the boat was lowering. She didn't mention anyone getting out to make room for her, but in this article she also omitted the fact that her older daughter, Ruth, was left behind and had to wait for another boat. The Beckers were in second class.

-Kate

 

[Michael H. Standart]

Annie Funk's biography is at https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/biography/416/ and it would seem that the story is true to a point, though it appears questionable whether she surrendered the seat voluntarily.

 

[Holly Peterson]

I really hope this story is the truth, because I did Anne Funk for a school project about underappreciated heroes. As she was a missionary I find this story likely. It is very likely that, if she did surrender her seat, Mrs. Becker was the person she gave it up for. I wrote a poem about her heroism and posted it on the Titanic Poetry thread under Titanic Books. Please if you have time read and review it!