The Family Funkhouser

There's a family in Oklahoma that had the misfortune of having five of it's 13 children go to prison, 4 of them were here in Oklahoma. What kinds of misfortunes could have plagued such a family? Reader,s let me tell you, it's Oklahoma and there were a number of things that can crop up to snatch away someone so quick it hurts.

Jerelene Funkhouser was the mother of these 13 children and she was a frail, uneducated woman who watched the world take her children, almost helpless to stop the steal of her precious ones. Now, my darling readers, I find these tragedies extreme so be warned that there are some things about them that could be triggering.

Kenneth Funkhouser and his brother Garland were charged with robbery of Elite Adult Book store in Tulsa, Oklahoma in January of 1983. The manager of the store ended up being killed in the robbery accidentally according to what Kenneth had stated later. Both were wearing masks in an attempted to not be identified, it didn't help much. Someone forgot to tell Garland not to wear watches that were not uniquely identifiable. Readers, this isn't the only stupid thing they do while trying to rob this book store. Kenneth tries to shoot the lock off the lockbox holding the daily receipts from the patrons of the stone and a piece of the bullet ricochets off the lock and into Kenneth's leg. Proper evidence, my dear readers. There were witnesses because this bookstore had a "Peep show" set up in the back. It was an adult movie kind of set up for the more...tasteless. That's something you buy and watch at home. Anyway, this made it all the way to trial where Garland was acquitted, amazingly, my dear readers. Kenneth received multiple life sentences in prison for his part in the robbery.

Then came the trial for Dennis Funkhouser, his mother had, had 4 heart attacks by this time. She was under a massive amount of stress and praying the jury wasn't going to give her son the Death Penatly. Dennis and two other gentlemen went to trial for beating to death a 92 year old woman. The two that were with Dennis were given lesser charges and would not serve time over the incident. Readers, I'm noticing a pattern starting, how about you? Dennis is serving life as well.

I said there were five brothers who went to prison. Evetually, Garland would go to prison, Jackie, and George. George and Garland have passed on, Jackie was in another state for prison. That was the last I found of him. It showed for years ago and he's likely out now.

Oklahoma has a crash course in rendering families hardship ways of life. You can learn really fast what it means to be an Oklahoman with the kinds of tragedies that face a family. This family lost a son to a house fire, a 3 year old boy, one of the 13 children that Jerelene would lose along the way. Then she would lose a daughter to drowning. The child drowned at a church camp swimming event. To many children, not enough adults watching and the child slipped off into and area she wasn't supposed to be in, her body was found several hours later. This was at lake Ft. Gibson.

It just keeps going for this family. Jerelene pasted away of a heart attack, her fifth and final one in 1985. The strain of her sons in prison was more then her heart could handle and it finally gave out.