Obituary of John Edward Acker

On January 1, 2023, John Edward Acker passed away in the very early hours of the morning at 86 years of age. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Patricia Ann McMichael Acker, his daughter Juanita Nickols (Bruce), and Anna Acker Kamasaki (Jeff). He is also survived by his five grandchildren: Phillip Nickols (Susanna Case Nickols), Steven Nickols, Julie Nickols, Kevin Kamasaki, and Katie Kamasaki. John was preceded in death by his parents, Gladys and Steven Acker, and his siblings, George Acker and Jean Mecartney.

John was born in Denver, Colorado, the youngest child of Gladys and Steven. He served in the U.S. Army in Air Defense Artillery. He attended Colorado State University and graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in psychology. In Salt Lake City, he met and married his wife, Pat. They moved to Fort Worth, Texas, where they lived and raised their family for over 50 years. He retired from the General Services Administration after 28 years.

John was an avid outdoorsman and lover of nature. He enjoyed camping, hiking, biking, and running. He was also a great music and arts enthusiast who attended and appreciated great performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and choral works. He loved traveling to operas in Santa Fe and New York as well as visiting many great art museums around the world. John always had a book in hand and was a lifelong learner of history, art, and literature.

He continued his active lifestyle to the very end, working out and attending Zumba classes at the Ryan Family YMCA, meeting friends for coffee and lectures, and going to exhibits at the Kimball with family.