Richard "Dick" Ackerman

Dick Ackerman, 81 of Darby passed away on Saturday, February, 28, 2015 at the Marcus Daly Hospice. He was born November 8, 1933 in Beverly Hills, California, the son of William and Helen Ackerman.
Dick attended Beverly Vista Grammar School and Beverly Hills High School. Dick was an avid tennis player and while attending high school was a member of the tennis team that won the national championship for three years. Dick also was a basketball player; their high school team won the High School League Championship. While in high school Dick joined a YMCA Club called the Corsairs. This group has met every single year since 1949. The reunions over the last 66 years have been a high point of Dick's life.
In 1951, Dick started at UCLA and in 1955 he received his B.S. in Business Administration. One of Dick's most memorable memories at UCLA is having played Junior Varsity Basketball under the tutelage of the nationally renowned John Wooden. He was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. During his senior year at UCLA Dick married Diane Boyce. After graduating, Dick worked as a CPA at Price Waterhouse. Dick and Diane had four children; Valerie, Laurie, Susan and Bill. In 1959, Dick simultaneously started his CPA practice in West Los Angeles and began night law school at USC. After 5 nights a week for 4 years, Dick received his law degree. Dick joined Riviera Tennis Club in 1972. At that time the Wednesday Boys group was formed. They played tennis every Wednesday for 25 years. The zenith of their time together was a tennis tournament held in Pamilla, Mexico in 1978. Dick's love of Mexico led to first buying a home in Las Gaviotas and a few years later in 1980 building 5 more homes. Dick enticed his friends to join him in his Mexico adventures.
Dick met Barbara in 1978 and they married in 1979. Barbara had a young son, Jonathan and was pursuing her career as an Electrical Engineer specializing in satellite communications. Dick and Barbara became active with Earthwatch Expeditions, a group that sponsors volunteer work all over the world in a myriad of disciplines. Dick and Barbara went on 10 Earthwatch Expeditions including: Nepal to study Rhesus monkeys in the temples of Kathmandu, Swaziland to unearth Middle Stone Age tools, Chile to locate and exhume Pre-Colombian mummies in the Atacama Desert, Switzerland to dig up Plateosaurus bones, Zimbabwe to study the nutrition of pregnant Ndebele women. Dick and Barbara also enjoyed other world travel to places including Greece, Russia, Peru, Italy, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and the Caribbean.
Dick's zest for life also included a love for deep sea fishing. Over the years Dick joined his fishing buddies from Alaska to Panama. One of his highlight trips was the Baja 1000 in 1990 with his friends and sons Bill and Jonathan. They sailed down the coast of Baja fishing, swimming with seals and whale watching.
Dick was an integral part of Barbara's adventure with Shona Sculpture, the modern African art form of Zimbabwe and her opening of an art gallery in Santa Monica, CA. He travelled with Barbara to Zimbabwe to hand select art to be featured in her gallery.
Dick and Barbara built their dream home in Darby in 1998. Dick was the founder of the Darby Town Endowment fund and with the generosity of members of the community this fund has assisted a number of worthy projects in Darby. Dick was also active on the Marcus Daly Foundation Board. He enjoyed the relaxed life and the serene beauty of the Bitterroot Valley and especially enjoyed spending time with his dear friends.
Dick is survived by his wife Barbara; his five children, Valerie, Laurie, Susan, Bill and Jonathan; his sister, Carol Barnes; and his grandchildren, Anaya, Courtney, Carly, Camille and Will.
In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer donations to Marcus Daly Hospice Endowment Fund, 1200 Westwood Drive, Hamilton, MT 59840.