Obituary of Walter Ackerman

Walter E. Ackerman, an avid boater and retired service engineer passed away on Wednesday, August 16, 2023.  He was 91 years old.  Walter was born in Brooklyn, NY.  He was the son of Walter H. and Helen Ackerman.  He grew up in Brooklyn, NY.  After high school, he enlisted in the US Navy serving aboard the USS Lloyd Thomas, A Gearing Class destroyer, during the Korean War.  After his military service, Walter went to work as a service engineer for the National Cash Register Company (NCR).  He worked at NCR’s Boston and Tewksbury offices servicing much of the Boston and Northern Massachusetts area.  He worked for NCR his entire career. 

Walter biggest passion was boating.  He had a 24-foot boat that he kept on Lake Winnipesaukee and Lake Winnisquam in New Hampshire for decades.  During the warm weather months, he spent much of his time living on the boat and cruising the lakes.  He took 2 adventures with his boat into Canada over the years.  The adventure started with him trailering his boat to Burlington Vermont and launching on Lake Champlain. He traversed Lake Champlain, followed the Champlain Canal and Chambly Canal systems into Canada and connected to the St. Lawrence River.  He then visited Montreal and Quebec by boat before returning through the canals to the United States and Lake Champlain. 

Walter had a number of other hobbies as well.  He was an avid woodworker making furniture from scratch as well as refinishing furniture.  He took classes at the Eliot School in Jamaica Plain as well as the Worcester Center for the Arts learning the skills and techniques used in the trade.  He also was an avid photographer, which was something he shared with his wife, Judy.  They took classes together and traveled all over the country in search of wildlife photos.  He went to Keokuk, Iowa twice to photograph Bald Eagles.  His prized picture captured 8 bald eagles perched in a tree together.  It was something he only saw once in his lifetime. 

Walter had a gentle and easy-going personality.  He had a strong Catholic faith and sat in the same spot every Sunday at the 7:30 a.m. mass at St. Margaret’s Church in Burlington.  He had made his home in Burlington since 1987 and had previously resided in Somerville and Bedford. 

Walter was the beloved husband of Judith Campbell.  He was the son of the late Walter and Helen Ackerman.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Margaret Church in St. Veronica Parish, www.stveronicama.org, 111 Winn Street, Burlington on Wednesday, August 23 at 10 a.m.  His remains will be buried at a future date in the family plot in the Oakwood Cemetery in Syracuse, New York.  In lieu of flowers, memorials in Walter’s name may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.  Arrangements by the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, Burlington. For online guestbook see www.sullivanfuneralhome.net