Alena Marie Funsch enjoyed a vibrant life marked by love, dedication, and mental acumen. She was a caring, sharp-witted, and generous mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, and professional.
Her nature was to excel in all areas of importance to her, from her high school academics and basketball achievements to her straight-shooting career as a probation officer and manager.
Alena passed away October 18, 2024, at home in Princeton at the age of 76. She was born August 18, 1948, to Mildred and Leroy Nichols in Hugo, Oklahoma. She was 2 when the family moved to Princeton, Texas where she grew up as a sweetheart of the tiny town. As her parents ran the downtown service station, she and two brothers and two sisters became integral and beloved members of the community.
She graduated as valedictorian of the Princeton High School class of 1966 and became the only member of her immediate family to graduate from college. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from East Texas State University (now Texas A&M at Commerce).
She was working full time at Gulf Insurance while pursuing a master’s degree when a severely broken leg caused her to cease her studies. It was also at Gulf that she met the love of her life, Jim Funsch. They married June 28, 1974, at the church of her youth, First Christian in Princeton, Texas.
Alena and Jim raised three daughters, Shelly, Ryan and Erica Funsch. After long days of guiding people on probation, she went home to instruct her daughters on all their school subjects. She helped them learn to read, and she enthusiastically enhanced their speaking and writing. And she charged them for their errors. Whenever a daughter spoke in incorrect grammar, she said, “You owe me a dollar.” Then she explained the right way to say what had been misspoken. Thank goodness she never actually collected all those debts!
Alena’s devotion to her children manifested in myriad ways, from attending every basketball, volleyball, and softball game they played, to advising them about romance, friendships, and life in general. She watched them cheer, held them as they cried, and encouraged their dreams. She baked thousands -- literally -- of cinnamon rolls, sausage rolls, and cookies. Later, she became the extended family’s go-to baker of professional quality birthday cakes, sharing her love for family as well as her creativity in tangible ways.
In the professional realm, Alena was known as a truth teller. She never sugarcoated anything with the people she helped as they were on probation, or the people she supervised. As assistant director of the Collin County Supervision and Corrections Department, she impacted the lives of hundreds of people over three decades.
In retirement, she loved spending time with her grandchildren, traveling with her husband, and enjoying adventures with her sisters. She also returned to the church of her youth, First Christian in Princeton, until health issues kept her at home.
Alena is survived by her daughters, Shelly Gonzales of Princeton, Texas, Ryan Rives and husband, Chad, of Arlington, Texas, and Erica McAnear and husband, Walker, of Clarendon, Texas; grandchildren, A.J. and Max Gonzales, Rylee, Rydlii and Rykyr Rives, Jaxan, Millie, and Justus McAnear; brother, Allen Nichols and wife, Janet, of Rowlett, Texas; sisters Lawine Pinkard of Plano, Texas and Lois Davis of Princeton, Texas; and a host of other loving family and friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Jim Funsch; her parents; brothers Darrell Nichols, Bobby Jo Kelley, T.L. Nichols, R.B. Nichols, Robert Nichols, and Allen L. Nichols Jr.
A memorial service will be held at 4:00 p.m., Tuesday, October 29, 2024 at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Chapel, 2525 Central Expressway North, Allen, Texas 75013. The service will also be live streamed at TJMfuneral.com on Alena’s obituary page by clicking on the following link: https://celebrationoflife.tv/blog/alena-marie-nichols-funsch. Afterwards the recorded live stream will be available for viewing at the same link location.
Following the memorial service, the family will receive friends during the gathering to celebrate Alena’s life.