Charles Town | Horse Racing Free Tips

Randy Funkhouser Passes Away

Raymond Joseph “Randy” Funkhouser, II, a longtime member of the Charles Town Horsemen's Benevolent Protective Association (HBPA), passed away Feb. 4. He was 70.

Born and raised in Charles Town, West Virginia, Funkhouser returned to Jefferson County after graduating from Stanford University to partner with his mother Ruth and mentor Frank Gall in running O'Sullivan Farms. He was actively involved in the West Virginia Thoroughbred industry and farmland preservation, working tirelessly for decades with legislators and community leaders to protect and enhance the industry in the state.

Funkhouser served as a member of the Charles Town Horsemen's Benevolent Protective Association (HBPA) for 25 years, including 16 years as president. He served on the boards of the National HBPA, West Virginia Thoroughbred Breeders Association, West Virginia Breeders Classics, the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley and was a founding member and organizer of the Charles Town Racetrack Chaplaincy.

He followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, RJ Funkhouser, in his passion for Jefferson County's rich culture, history and agriculture. Sons John and Joe carry on their father's legacy in the operation of the family farm and advocacy for horsemen in West Virginia.

Funkhouser recently published a book of poetry, Shenandoah Valley Sketches.

Funkhouser is survived by his beloved wife of 46 years, Clissy, sons John and Joe Funkhouser, daughter Kate Brown, son-in-law Mike Brown, grandson Clyde Brown, sister Ann Strite-Kurz and a vast network of adoring family and friends and his loyal dog Finnegan. He is preceded in death by his mother, Ruth Funkhouser, father and step-mother Justin and Carolyn Funkhouser, sisters Carol Funkhouser and Pam Day and long-time mentor, Frank Gall. His brother Robert Funkhouser passed away Feb. 7.

A funeral service will be held Feb. 20, at 2 p.m. at Covenant Church, 7485 Shepherdstown Pike, Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The service will be live streamed, and the link can be found on the website www.randyfunkhouser.com.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to Charles Town Racetrack Chaplaincy, PO Box 1377, Charles Town, WV 25414. Or Friends of Happy Retreat, PO Box 1427 Charles Town, WV 25414 (https://www.happyretreat.org/donate/). Or The Bridge Community Church 114 S. Fairfax Blvd., Ranson WV 25438 (https://thebridgewv.church/give).

The post Randy Funkhouser Passes Away appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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‘A Man Of Honor’: Charles Town HBPA Pillar Randy Funkhouser Dies At 70

Raymond Joseph “Randy” Funkhouser II, 70, died peacefully on Feb. 4, 2022. Randy is survived by his beloved wife of 46 years, Clissy, sons John and Joe Funkhouser, daughter Kate Brown, son-in-law Mike Brown, grandson Clyde Brown, sister Ann Strite-Kurz and a vast network of adoring family and friends and his loyal dog Finnegan. He is preceded in death by his mother Ruth Funkhouser, father and step-mother Justin and Carolyn Funkhouser, sisters Carol Funkhouser and Pam Day and long-time mentor, Frank Gall. His brother Robert Funkhouser passed away on Feb. 7.

Randy was born and raised in Charles Town, West Virginia. He attended Powhatan School in Boyce, Virginia and The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in creative writing before returning to Jefferson County to partner with his mother Ruth and mentor Frank Gall in running O'Sullivan Farms. He was actively involved in the West Virginia Thoroughbred industry and farmland preservation, working tirelessly for decades with legislators and community leaders to protect and enhance the Thoroughbred industry.

Randy served as a member of the Charles Town Horsemen's Benevolent Protective Association (HBPA) for 25 years, including stints as president for 16 of those years. He served on the boards of the National HBPA, West Virginia Thoroughbred Breeders Association, West Virginia Breeders Classics, the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley and was a founding member and organizer of the Charles Town Racetrack Chaplaincy.

Randy followed in the footsteps of his grandfather RJ Funkhouser in his passion for Jefferson County's rich culture, history and agriculture. Sons John and Joe carry on their father's legacy in the operation of the family farm and advocacy for horsemen in West Virginia.

An avid photographer in earlier years, Randy went on to pursue his love of creative writing and recently published a book of poetry, Shenandoah Valley Sketches.

Randy had a voracious appetite for life, learning and travel. He had an unbridled hope that each year's foal crop would be the best yet. He was a visionary, a scholar and above all a man of honor. He had a big heart and laughed and wept equally with abandon. His beaming smile always lit up the room.

Randy possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of family lore, fine wine, thoroughbred pedigrees and every book he ever read. He was kind-hearted, generous and endlessly appreciative of God's creation. He loved the Lord, his family, his farm, his friends and a good story. And boy, could he tell a tale.

He will be dearly missed.

A funeral service will be held on Sunday, February 20, at 2:00 pm at Covenant Church, 7485 Shepherdstown Pike, Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The service will be live streamed, and the link can be found on the website randyfunkhouser.com

The family invites you to share your memories of Randy on the website, randyfunkhouser.com. Select “Memorial” from the menu and use the links to share memories via email or to upload pictures.

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Former Charles Town Racing Secretary Lonnie Sowers Passes At Age 82

The Charles Town racing community lost a long time member recently as the track's former Racing Secretary Mearl “Lonnie” Sowers passed away last week at the age of 82.

Sowers got his start in the racing industry rubbing horses for J.P. Simpson in the late 1950's before taking time away from the backstretch to begin a career in the racing offices of the West Virginia and Maryland circuits in the decade that followed.

He would then once again find himself back at the barn in 1974 when he became an assistant trainer for Bud Delp, overseeing a shed row of 50 horses until 1978.

Most notably in his time with Delp, Sowers called his boss to tell him he had seen something different after laying eyes on the first workout of a dark gray colt who had shipped into his barn several weeks prior. The colt, who turned out to be 1979 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Spectacular Bid, would go on to win 26 of 30 lifetime starts in his Hall of Fame career.

After leaving the backstretch for the final time in 1978, Sowers reprised his role in the Charles Town racing office, working his way up to the position of Racing Secretary in 1995 – a role he held until the track was sold. With his love of the racing industry, Sowers continued on to work as an assistant mutuel manager in the mutuels department until his retirement in 2007.

Sowers is survived by his wife of 61 years, Margaret “Peggy” Lynn Horsley Sowers; two children, including Charles Town's current Racing Manager Duane Sowers, eight grandchildren and fifteen great grandchildren. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by one brother, Thomas Sowers, Jr.

Funeral services will be held 1 p.m. Monday, February 7 at the Jefferson Chapel in Ranson, West Virginia with the family receiving friends from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Sunday at the Chapel.

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Cold Weather Changes: Charles Town Shifts Saturday’s Card To Wednesday, Feb. 2

Due to the low temperatures and high winds forecast to move through West Virginia this weekend, Charles Town's live racing program scheduled for Saturday evening, Jan. 29, has been cancelled.

The cancelled card will be moved in its entirety to Wednesday, Feb. 2, with the first racing kicking off at Charles Town's standard post time of 7:00 P.M. EST.

The post Cold Weather Changes: Charles Town Shifts Saturday’s Card To Wednesday, Feb. 2 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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