In Loving Memory of Joan (Funke-Blackburn) Dow

With heavy hearts, we share the passing of Joan (Funke-Blackburn) Dow, who left this world on Saturday, March 8, 2025, at 8:32 p.m. Born on June 27, 1936, in Tipton, Indiana, to Joseph C. and Edna M. (Vair) Funke.  Joan was raised in a proud generational farming family, instilling in her a deep love of hard work and resilience.

Joan’s greatest joy in life was her family. She is survived by her eight children—William, Theresa, Richard, Julie, Cheryl, Michael, Jerrianne, and Shawn—along with thirteen grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sisters Doris, MaryAnn, Martha, and Madonna but was preceded in death by her brother, William (Bill). She passed peacefully in California, surrounded by the love of most of her children, a testament to the deep bonds she nurtured throughout her life.

She was a member of St. John’s Parish and attended high school at the revered St. Joseph Academy. During this time, she met Darrell L. Blackburn, whom she married after graduation. Joan was also one of the many who generously contributed to the rebuilding of St. John’s Church in recent years, a reflection of her enduring faith and dedication to her community.

To know Joan was to know a woman of strength, generosity, and an unmatched zest for life. She spoke her mind with honesty, welcomed everyone with open arms, and worked harder than anyone. Above all, she loved fiercely, and that love will live on in the hearts of those who knew her. While words cannot express the void her absence leaves, we find comfort in knowing that she is now "God’s Beautiful Angel."

Joan will return home to Indiana, at a later date, for her final journey. In honor of her memory, the family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Alzheimer's Association or to your local Humane Society/ASPCA, causes close to her heart.

She will be deeply missed but never forgotten.