Donald E. Akers (1946-2019)

AKERS, PRICE

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 6/4/2019 at 14:33:58

Donald E. Akers Obituary
DONALD E. AKERS Walker
Donald E. Akers, 72, of Walker, Iowa, passed away Saturday, June 1, 2019, after a courageous fight to recover from heart surgery. Family will greet friends from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 6, at St. John Lutheran Church in Center Point, Iowa. A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, June 7, at the church, officiated by the Rev. David L. Hansen. Burial will follow at Troy Mills Cemetery, Troy Mills, Iowa. Arrangements by Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Center Point. Donald was born Nov. 30, 1946, at the family farm in Coggon, Iowa, the son of Ralph E. and Alice R. (Price) Akers. He graduated from North Linn High School (Troy Mills) in 1966. Donald went on to serve honorably in the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard, retiring after 22 years. While serving, he earned the Silver Lifesaving Medal. In 2002, Donald returned to the Midwest after living in Rhode Island for many years to assist his mother, who still lived on the family farm. He reconnected with his first love, Pat, and they were married on Oct. 15, 2011. Together they enjoyed traveling with friends, attending grandchildren's events and camping. He was the commander of Floyd Williamson American Legion Post 712 of Troy Mills, Iowa, from 2002 to his death, and a member of St. John Lutheran Church, where he was an elder and member of the choir. Donald is survived and lovingly remembered by his wife, Pat, of Walker; his children, Dawn Lynne Akers of Lynn, Mass., Larry (Deanna) Akers of East Providence, R.I., and Kim (Travor Robinson) Akers of Riverside, R.I.; Pat's children, Matthew (Sara) Voss of Walker, Dana (Jason) Schmidt of Coggon, Iowa, and Eric (Amy) Voss of Anamosa; mother-in-law, Ruth Chrystal of Center Point; brother, Ronald Akers of Guntersville, Ala.; sister, Dianne (Robert) Graham of Bethel, Alaska; two brothers-in-law, George Berger of South Amana, Iowa, and John (Janice) Chrystal of Center Point; sister-in-law, Janet Chrystal of Cedar Rapids; two aunts, Doris Henderson and Betty Price; 18 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ralph and Alice Akers; sister, Judith Berger; brother-in-law, Dan Chrystal; and father-in-law, Gordon Chrystal. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established in Donald's memory. Please share a memory of Donald at www.murdochfuneralhome.com under obituraries.
Published in The Gazette on June 4, 2019