Harry "Bud" Ackmann Jr.
COLUMBIA — Harry Ackmann Jr. was a Navy man, and he was proud of it.
He served in World War II in the South Pacific, and was a longtime member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 280 and American Legion Post 202, both in Columbia.
“My dad was a part of the Greatest Generation serving in WWII,” Ackmann's daughter, Sheila Robertson, said. “Those folks just got it done. We could all learn something from them,” she said.
Mr. Ackmann, or "Bud," as he was commonly called, died Friday, Oct. 1, 2010. He was 85.
He was born May 31, 1925, to Harry and Irene (Menke) Ackmann in Hartsburg, where he was raised. He was able to attend school only until the eighth grade before the Great Depression forced him to help on his family's farm.
In 1948, following his time in the Navy, Mr. Ackmann married his childhood sweetheart, Bernadine, whom he met growing up in Hartsburg. They moved to Columbia that year.
Mr. Ackmann worked in the plumbing, heating and electrical supply business for most of his adult life. He retired from Riback Supply Co. in 1999 after working there for 25 years.
Mr. Ackmann was also a member of Wilkes Boulevard United Methodist Church for 62 years.
“(He) had a very kind heart. He loved to joke with people, and he was a big Missouri football fan,” Robertson said of her father. Robertson is Mr. Ackmann’s only child.
Mr. Ackmann and his wife attended MU football games “no matter what” and recently began attending MU women's basketball games, Robertson said.
Mr. Ackmann is survived by his wife, Bernadine of Hartsburg; daughter, Sheila Robertson of Columbia; and 13 nieces and nephews.
His parents, brother and sister all died earlier.
A memorial service will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 4, at Memorial Funeral Home, 1217 Business Loop 70 W., in Columbia.
The funeral is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 5, at 11 a.m. at Wilkes Boulevard United Methodist Church, 702 Wilkes Blvd.
