Virginia J. "Ginny" Funfsinn, 87, of Mendota passed away July 15, 2016, in Heritage Health, Mendota surrounded by her family after a long battle with the muscle disease Inclusion Body Myositis.

A Mass in celebration of her life will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday in Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Peterstown, with Abbot Philip Davey, O.S.B., and Father Peter Pilon officiating. Burial will be at the church cemetery.

Visitation is 4-8 p.m. Wednesday and 9:30-10 a.m. Thursday at Merritt Funeral Home, Mendota.

Virginia was born May 13, 1929, in Tonica to Nicholas and Christina (Ballenseifer) Schmitz. She graduated from Streator High School in 1947 and married Benjamin Funfsinn in 1948. They made their home on a farm southwest of Mendota for over 40 years, then moved to Mendota when Ben retired. Ginny lived at Stonecroft Village since 2005.

Besides being a homemaker, she worked as a Beeline Fashions representative and as secretary for the Mendota Area Chamber of Commerce.

Her passion and joy was working with teens and faith-filled adults in the Teens Encounter Christ (TEC) program at Peterstown which she and Ben introduced to the area in the mid 1970s. Since then 199 TEC weekends have been held bringing thousands of teens to a closer relationship with Christ. She was also active in the Peoria Cursillo movement and was pleased to have Cursillo weekends for adults brought to Peterstown in more recent years.

Her hobbies included gardening and canning, great cooking, baking bread and pies, making dozens of teddy bears, refinishing wood furniture and toys, playing euchre and listening to classical and 1940s big band music.

She was a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

She is survived by her son Mark (Deborah) Funfsinn of Columbia; three grandsons, Nicholas (Marlea) Funfsinn of Springboro, Ohio, Douglas (Ericka) Funfsinn of Woodbury, Minn., and Thomas Funfsinn of Columbia and Puyang, China; and three great-grandchildren, Benjamin and Mariana Funfsinn of Springboro, Ohio, and Emilia Funfsinn of Woodbury, Minn.

She was preceded in death by her husband Ben, in 2003; infant son Arthur; three sisters, Bernice Hudak, Mildred Goodbred and Marjorie Sons Anderson; and by her parents.

Pallbearers will be Nicholas Funfsinn, Douglas Funfsinn, Thomas Funfsinn, Richard Goodbred, Kevin Schmidt, and Anita Vaessen.

Flowers can be sent to Merritt Funeral Home, Mendota. Donations may be made to the Peterstown TEC program (www.peterstowntec.com) or to St. Bede Academy (www.st-bede.com). Online condolences may be viewed at www.merrittfh.com.