Born in Chicago, Illinois, Ruth Hardy was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was a talented musician and excelled at classical piano. She attended the University of Utah and earned a degree in music in 1938. On December 31, 1938, Ruth married Marcus C. Funk in the Salt Lake Temple. Shortly thereafter, the couple moved to Chicago so Marcus could attend the dental school at Northwestern University.
After her tenure as Young Women president, Funk served as the chair of the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women in Utah and has been a member of the board of directors of Bonneville International Corporation. For eight years she served as a member and chair of the Utah State Board of Education.
She died peacefully in her Salt Lake City home on February 5, 2011, surrounded by her children.