SASKATOON – The Saskatoon literary community has suffered a great loss after the death of novelist Wes Funk, according to a local author. Funk, 46, passed away last week.
“The whole literary community is very much going to miss him, he always had his hand on the pulse of what was going on,” said AuKeeRa Rayne, a fellow Saskatoon author who considered Funk a close friend.
“He encouraged self-publishing, he encouraged writing about subjects which people were scared to broach, he encouraged anyone who wanted to write,” she said.
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Funk published a number of acclaimed works, including his recent memoir “Wes Side Story.” He also hosted a literary television show, where Rayne says she initially met him.
“We just became fast friends, I am a writer, he’s a writer and we’d talk about everything,” said Rayne.
She says she found out about Funk’s passing on Saturday morning from a fellow author. According to his website, Funk had moved from Saskatoon to Edmonton.
“I would describe him as passionate, full of his own conviction, willing to reach out and tell others about that conviction,” said Rayne.
The cause of his death has not yet been made public.
Watch below (from March 31, 2015): Wes Funk has re-released “Dead Rock Stars,” this one illustrated by Saskatoon artist Kevin Hastings.
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