The Zac Funderburk story: A championship wrestler, he left an indelible mark on the world

Ashlie Kyle was having a normal Friday afternoon getting her nails revived when she received a call that would turn the stomach of even the most stout-hearted mother. Her son and oldest child had been in an accident on his motorcycle on Bert Kouns not far from the I-49 overpass.

Hoping and praying for the best, but steeled for the worst, Kyle headed to the hospital to check on Zac Funderburk, 27, a former state championship wrestler for Parkway who wanted to become a Navy Seal before becoming a US Marine and most recently a Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries enforcement agent.

“When the doctor walked in, I knew immediately what he was going to say,” Kyle said as she began to cry. “I turned and faced the wall. I had this flushed feeling from my chin to down below my heart.”

Funderburk succumbed to his injuries at Ochsner LSU Health hospital on March 22. He sustained the injuries when another vehicle turned left in front of him and did not see him, Kyle said. Kyle has been unable to look at social media or make an attempt to talk to the woman who turned in front of her son.

“For three days I’ve felt a need to be mad, but I haven’t been able to,” Kyle said. “I can’t imagine how she feels.”

Since then, the world has been a blur for the family and the countless friends of the Funderburks across the region. Sara, Zac’s younger sister by 17 months, made the long drive from Baton Rouge where she was studying to become a veterinarian. She and her brother were nearly as close as conjoined twins. Tuesday evening she was preparing what she would say at Thursday’s emotional funeral.

“I had to call and tell her and Sara was in total shock,” Kyle said. “When she got to the hospital she was showing no emotion. I hugged her and told her she was going to have to cry. When we got off the elevator there were a lot of people there, and I stepped off to the side. Then I heard her collapse.”

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The boy in him

Funderburk wasn’t afraid of snakes, loved crabbing and once caught a 4-foot alligator in a ditch.

“He jumped on it, taped its mouth shut and took it up to where they were staying so everyone could see it,” Kyle said. “He was crazy in a good way and loved to make people laugh.”

Not long ago, he took his girlfriend fishing and wanted to take a photo of her holding her first bass.

“But all she wanted to do was get the fish back in the water,” Kyle said. “Zac told her that the longer she waited to hold it so he could take the pic, the longer the fish would be out of water.”

Stellar wrestler

Smallish when he enrolled in Parkway as a freshman, wrestling gave him a connection and a sport that allowed Funderburk success. He thrived despite eating a lot of Posados and Mexican fast food.

“Zac loved, loved, loved Taco Bell,” Kyle said. “I told him it was because I craved Taco Bell while I was pregnant with him.”

Former Parkway wrestling coach Emmett Beggs, now a Bossier Parish administrator, said Funderburk was a freakish athlete who was driven to become the 2015 Shreveport Times Wrestler of the Year.

“When things were hard on the mat and in life, Zac excelled,” Beggs said. “His drive to be the best was unmatched. He was loyal and would do anything for those he loved.”

Funderburk was also a little bit of a troublemaker as a freshman “doing dumb boy stuff,” according to his mother.

“But one day, coach Beggs set him down and talked to him,” Kyle said. “I don’t know what he said to him, but that was a turning point in his life.”

After graduation, Funderburk wrestled four years at 145 or 152 pounds at Briar Cliff College coming within a single win of earning All-American honors.

Running career

Although he had the talent to be successful as a runner, Funderburk ran cross country one year at Parkway.

“Zac didn’t know any of the runners who weren’t on our team because he was just there one season,” Panther cross country coach Kent Falting said. “I used to go up to him at meets and say, ‘go beat that blonde haired kid,’ who happened to be a lot faster than Zac. But Zac didn’t know that. Every time, Zac would either find a way to beat that kid or get a new personal record. He believed he could beat anybody and most of the time he did."

Serving others

Funderburk had dreams of being a Navy Seal, but his service ended up in the Marines in officer candidate school. Not long after he joined, he slipped on ice and tweaked his back, so they sent him home to recover.

Already an avid hunter and angler, Funderburk found his sweet spot as a wildlife agent, one of the most dangerous jobs in law enforcement.

“One day he told me, ‘Mom, I can’t believe I get to do this for a living,’” Kyle said.

The Louisiana Wildlife Agents Association released a statement about Funderburk’s service in patrolling Red River Parish.

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of LDWF Agent Zachary Funderburk,” the statement read. “He will be greatly missed by all. He was an exemplary public servant and looked out for the citizens of Louisiana. He made a significant impact in his community.”

Missing Zac

Kyle said she is confident her son’s faith made him stronger during his college days at Briar Cliff. He called one day and asked her to mail him his Bible.

She answered, “you bet I will.”

Lots of folks are already missing a lot of things about Funderburk and those memories weren’t lost on Beggs earlier this week.

“I’m going to miss his smile, his ability to consistently goof around, but most of all, I’m going to miss him,” Beggs said. “I’m going to miss those phone calls and text messages. I’m going to miss seeing him. He will always be with me and with all those who met him.”

Jimmy Watson covers Louisiana sports for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at jwatson@shreveporttimes.com and follow him on Twitter @JimmyWatson6.