Carolyn Gordon Ackerman died peacefully in her sleep, two days after her ninetieth birthday, on August 23, 2016 in Carbondale, CO.

She was born August 21, 1926 in Detroit, Michigan to Dr. Stephen F. Gordon and Eleanor Patterson Gordon. The oldest of three daughters, she grew up in Detroit and was a graduate of Cooley High School.

Carolyn married Arthur W. Ackerman Jr., a childhood friend, on June 12, 1948. She worked at the Detroit Armory during World War II before marrying and starting a family.

Carolyn was a loving mother and wife, always sharing her quietly positive spirit with everyone she encountered.

She is survived by her husband of 68 years: Arthur Ackerman, of Carbondale; five children: Gwendolyn Ackerman Hansen (Hans Peter) of Carbondale, Arthur “Skip” Ackerman (Susan Moore) of Los Barriles, BCS Mexico and Carbondale, Stephen G. Ackerman (Deborah Stanley) of Ft. Collins, CO, John E. Ackerman (Marianne Millard) of Carbondale, and Cynthia Ackerman Knutson (John Knutson) of Flagstaff, AZ. She is also survived by eleven grandchildren: Ivy Jane and Anders Hansen, Adrienne Ackerman, Adam and Carlyn Ackerman, J.R, David, and Georgia Ackerman, and Alex, Amy and Madeline Knutson, as well as three great grandchildren and a sister Jacqueline Dvorman of Huntington Beach, CA.

In addition to devoting her time and talents to her family, she was a volunteer with the Child Research Center of Detroit and Lift-Up in Carbondale. Carolyn loved to sing and was a member of the choir at Westminster Presbyterian Church of Detroit and later the Carbondale Community United Methodist Church as well as various community vocal groups and musical productions. Always an avid skier, she worked for ticket sales at Snowmass Mountain and skied until she was eighty. She and her husband traveled extensively in their later years and circumnavigated the world twice by ship. She was preceded in death by her parents and a sister, Frances Nicholson.

Memorial service to follow at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Lift-Up.

Special thanks to Debra Wanzer and the caring staff at Gardner Hall of Heritage Park Care Center.