Charles Acker
Our beloved husband, dad, granddaddy, brother and uncle Charles E. Acker, Jr., age 82, passed away peacefully into eternal rest on Saturday, September 13, 2014. He leaves behind his wife of 54 years Christa (nee Weinberger), son Jeffrey C. Acker (Lynda) of Southern Pines, N.C., daughters Diane E. Peters (Craig) of Peoria, IL and Susan J. Acker (Norbert Schmitt) of Twinsburg, OH; his sister Joan McHenry (William) of Hilton Head, S.C.; nephew Robert C. McHenry of Palmyra, VA; niece Deborah Hennis (deceased) and nine grandchildren, ages 5-12 yrs., Camille, Celeste and Allison Peters, Natalie, Annika, Lena, and Ethan Schmitt, and Caroline and Christina Acker.
Charley grew up in Wallingford, PA in the Philadelphia area. He graduated from Swarthmore H.S. in 1950 where he played football with his future brother-in-law Bill McHenry. He received his Liberal Arts degree from Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., class of 1954, followed by a Master’s degree in Business and Engineering from Thayer School of Engineering and Amos Tuck School of Business Administration in 1955. Charley was employed by the Westinghouse Electric Company for 19 years, first in Virginia, then at the Bryant Electric subsidiary in Bridgeport, Ct., followed by the Small Motor division in Lima, Ohio, where he lived from 1965-1981. Charley and family moved to Cleveland in the summer of that year, where they quickly settled in among Solon neighbors and a loving church family at Pioneer. After working at Acme Cleveland for several years, Charley was employed by the Belcan Engineering Company in Solon, retiring after 15 years of service as Manager of Finances and Administration.
Charley was beloved by many for his sense of humor and sociable nature in many volunteer capacities, foremost as elder and financial adviser at his church, as an AARP tax-aide at Garfield and Maple Heights Senior Community Centers, and preparing weekly routes for Meals on Wheels at Emerald Ridge. At Pioneer, Charley organized many crop walk activities and drummed up funds for food baskets at Thanksgiving in the disguise of a turkey. He enjoyed listening to the Cleveland Orchestra on the lawn at Blossom, monthly Burrough’s Nature Club programs in Willoughby, vacations at the eastern seashore, cruises with Swarthmore High School friends, and travels out west to state parks. But best of all, he loved being at home, watching football games, tending his vegetable garden or sipping his homemade wine with friends. He was a family man, who valued educating his three children, Jeff, Diane and Susan, and feeling blessed by his nine grandchildren with whom he liked to roughhouse.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at one o’clock on Monday, September 22, at Pioneer Memorial Presbyterian church, 35100 Solon Rd., Solon, Ohio 44139, where family will visit with friends in Fellowship Hall afterwards. Private interment will be at Mt. Hope cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to Pioneer’s Honduras Project, check written to Pioneer Memorial Presbyterian Church with Honduras Project in the memo line, address above, or to the PAWS on Child Hunger Program, check written to The Emergency Assistance Center, or TEAC, and mailed to 9199 Olde Eight Road, Suite C, Northfield, OH 44067. Donations for Paws may also be made online at http://www.teacenter.org, or made out to Pioneer with Paws on Hunger in the memo line.