Malcolm Lloyd Funn
An activist dedicated to dismantling racism and building community bridges
1945 -2022
Malcolm Lloyd Funn was born on June 10, 1945, at Harlem Hospital in New York City. He was educated in the segregated Calvert County Public School system and graduated from Brooks High School, Prince Frederick. His father served as principal there until its closure when Calvert integrated its public school system in 1967.
After graduating from Brooks High School in 1963, Funn attended Virginia State College and completed his studies at Bowie State College where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. He then enrolled at Catholic University earning his Juris Doctor degree. Funn worked as an attorney with the U.S. Treasury’s Internal Revenue Service as an administrative tax attorney.
Malcolm was active in church activities his entire life. He was ordained as a deacon at the Landover Hills Baptist Church. He (and wife Annette) joined The Gideons International, where he served in several positions at the local, state, and international cabinet levels. While affiliated with The Gideons, he travelled nationally, and worldwide including Spain, the Netherlands, France, India, and Norway.
Local and state organizations and boards sought Malcom’s leadership. Malcolm and Annette were founding planners for The Fifth Congressional District’s annual Black History Month program. This event draws well over 1,000 participants yearly. His community engagement included membership and service as first vice president with the Calvert County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Closing the Gap Coalition, League of Women Voters, The Big Conversation and Concerned Black Men. He served on the CalvertHealth Hospital Board and was Vice Chairman of the Maryland State Board of Elections, The Maryland Educational Blueprint, the Calvert County Planning Commission, the Calvert County liquor board and several other local boards. He served the Solomons Asbury residents as a community representative to the Asbury corporate offices.
Malcolm’s commitment to dismantling racism and the work of the Big Conversation was heroic. For a person whose influence stretched across Southern Maryland and the State, he gave an inordinate share of time, energy, and wisdom to this work. Having been raised in Calvert County during the time of segregation, he would speak to the reality of his own experiences. He was a strong advocate for ensuring the vote for all, equity in education and for addressing health inequities. Malcolm was a “bridge” between the black community and the rest of Calvert and Southern Maryland. He cared deeply about raising up the history of African American, Indigenous, and People of Color through the Southern Maryland Equity in History Coalition. As Malcolm expressed on numerous occasions, “Having a knowledge and understanding of local African American history is essential in addressing racism in our community and beyond”.
Additional Resources
Inspiring African American Men of Calvert County, Calvert Library, 2018. Book.
Sewell Funeral Home obituary information, Obituary information for MALCOLM LLOYD Funn, ESQUIRE (sewellfuneralhome.com)
“Baynet Online”, Calvert Activist, State Board Of Elections Member Malcolm Funn Dies At 77 – The BayNet
