John Ackerman

John R Ackerman, 71

A memorial service for John R. Ackerman, age 71, will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 10, 2018, at the Princeton Church of the Nazarene. Pastor Larry Veith will officiate at the service. Mr. Ackerman passed away Monday morning, March 5, 2018, at his Princeton home.

John Raymond Ackerman was born in Ritzville, Wash., on April 18, 1946, to Robert and Edna (Chouinard) Ackerman. He was raised in Viola and attended schools in Moscow. Following his schooling, John worked for Chateau Outfitters as a packer for big game hunters for five years. He then worked for Bendle Meat Packing for the next few years. John also worked as a grounds keeper at WSU for one year.

John married Darlene Boller on June 17, 1972, at Moscow. The couple made their home in Potlatch. John was employed by Bennett Lumber Company in Princeton. John and Darlene moved to Princeton in 1986, and John continued to work at Bennett's Mill. He worked as a millwright, worked on the resaw and later on the debarker. He retired from the mill in 2008 after 37 years.

He was a former member of the Cayuse Kids Saddle Club and the Silver Spurs Ramunda. He enjoyed riding horses, snowmobiling, hunting, boating and fishing. He enjoyed watching his granddaughters Brianna and Callie play various sports, especially basketball. In his later years, he enjoyed cheering for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. John also spent his summers traveling with his family to watch his son and granddaughters compete at O-mok-see's.

Survivors include his wife, Darlene, at the Princeton home; one son, Sheldon (Shirley) Ackerman, of Princeton; daughter, Suzy Ackerman, of Potlatch; two granddaughters, Brianna and Callie Ackerman, of Princeton; mother-in-law, Pauline Boller, and foster mother, Mary "Dolly" Tarbox, both of Potlatch. He is also survived by one brother, Billy Van Ackerman, of Oroville, Calif.

He was preceded in death by his parents and three brothers, Purnell Ackerman, Vern Ackerman and Lonnie Ackerman; father-in-law, John Allen Boller; and foster father, Ray Tarbox.