Donald W. Ackerley passed away peacefully July 22, 2024, at A.O. Fox Hospital in Oneonta, following a brief illness.
He was born April 6, 1941, in Walton to William and Marjorie Faulkner Ackerley. While living in Walton he met two people who became very special to him, and he considered his second parents, Hanford and Helen Nichols.
He attended many area schools until finally settling in Bloomville where he went to South Kortright Central School until he joined the U.S. Marine Corp in 1959. He served until 1963, when he had an honorable discharge as a corporal.
On March 21, 1964, he married Barbara Brockway, a marriage that lasted 60 years.
Don and Barb owned and operated Crystal Springs Dairy in Hobart with their three daughters. Don served as a member and former chief of the Hobart Fire Department and was a member of the Stamford Fire Department for many years. After selling their farm, Don went to work for South Kortright Central School as a custodian for many years and then at Andes Central School where he retired in 2011 as head of building and grounds. Once he retired Don did what he enjoyed best - mowing lawns and visiting the local diners for breakfast.
Don is survived by his wife Barbara; daughters Wendy (Jeff) Bailey of Davenport, Kim Ackerley of Roxbury, and Michele Ackerley of Hobart; granddaughter Kayla Ballard; two step-granddaughters, Erin (Fred) Blumberg and Sarah (Derek) Scully; four great-grandchildren; sisters Iris Wood and Jackie (Kevin) Cotter, both of Johnstown; sisters-in-law Diane Ackerley Williams and Mary Brockway; honorary mother Helen Nichols, and several nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his brothers Doug and Gary, sister Joyce Stuver, grandson Jason McLean, brother-in-law Dennis Brockway and honorary father Hanford Nichols.
If you knew Don, then you knew his sense of humor. He always left you with a joke and a smile.
Friends and relatives are invited to call on the family from 2-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, at the MacArthur Funeral Home, 15 Buntline Drive, Stamford, where full U.S. Marine Corp Honors will be held at 2.
Visit www.macarthurfh.com to share your condolences with the Ackerley family.
