Bobbie Claudette Funderburg Christian

Bobbie Claudette Funderburg Christian, age 90, passed away on March 11, 2026, after a brief illness. Born in Ruleville, Mississippi, to Gracie Mae Baker-King and Alfred Clint Funderburg, she was the middle child of nine in a rural sharecropper family. In 1954, she married Roy Edward (Ed) Christian. The couple experienced the stillbirth of their son Daniel in 1955. Bobbie worked at the General Industries factory in Forrest City before leaving in 1971 following the birth of her son Terry to devote herself to homemaking and small business entrepreneurship. She later worked for several years as a seamstress, specializing in alterations.

She found deep joy in nature, spending many hours fishing, gardening, feeding wildlife, and exploring the outdoors. A lover of music, Bobbie sang gospel songs alongside her husband Ed in churches throughout eastern Arkansas. Known for her generosity, she gave freely of her time and talents, serving others with humility and quiet dignity.

Bobbie was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Roy Edward (Ed) Christian, and her stillborn son Daniel. She is survived by her son, Terry E. Christian of Las Cruces, New Mexico (longtime of Memphis, Tennessee) and his husband Ernest (Danny) Jennings Jr., as well as the niece she raised from infancy, Natasha N. Eldridge Marcum of Wynne, Arkansas, and her husband Harvey (Gene) Marcum.