Raymond Joseph “Randy” Funkhouser II, longtime owner and breeder in West Virginia, died Feb. 4. Funkhouser operated O'Sullivan Farm with his family, collecting nearly 250 winners of $6.6 million, according to The Racing Biz.
His top runners were Confucius Say, who won four West Virginia Breeders Classics races, and Julie B, who earned close to $900,000 on the track.
Funkhouser was on the board of directors for the Charles Town HBPA and served as the group's president for a total of 16 years across various terms. He was also the vice president of the West Virginia Thoroughbred Breeders Association. Funkhouser was a founding member and organizer of the Charles Town Racetrack Chaplaincy.
A graduate of Stanford University, Funkhouser returned to his native Jefferson County, WVa., after college to run O'Sullivan with his mother Ruth and mentor Frank Gall.
Funkhouser often went to the mat for the state's horse racing industry and agricultural interests with various community leaders and state legislators.
“He wanted this industry to thrive,” Joe Funkhouser, son of Randy, told The Journal. “There would be no horse racing in West Virginia without my dad.”
Randy Funkhouser is survived by his wife Clissy, son Joe, and daughter Kate Brown, as well as a grandson and a sister. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Read more at The Journal.
