He was ordained as a Presbyterian minister at the Greenbush Presbyterian Church in Greenbush, N.Y., on May 21, 1937. His career included serving as pastor at the Greenbush Presbyterian Church in Blauvelt, N.Y., from 1937 to 1942; as an Army captain and chaplain from 1942 to 1946, which included, among other posts, service on Tinian Island, Japan, and as assistant pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in Orange, N.J., from 1946 to 1950. Rev. Ackerman was the founding pastor of the Livingston Presbyterian Church in Livingston, N.J., serving there from 1950 to 1983.
Following his retirement from Livingston in 1983, he served as a minister of visitation at the Presbyterian Church of Toms River from 1984 to 1999. He was active in both the Presbytery of Morris and Orange and the Presbytery of Newark, serving in many capacities, including moderator, vice moderator and director of summer conferences.
He also served on the Livingston Council of Churches and Livingston Clergy Association, and on the board of trustees of the Synod of New Jersey and Bloomfield College. Rev. Ackerman was a member of the Holland Society of New York and the Sussex County Historical Society, and was a charter member and chaplain of the David Ackerman Descendants. His hobbies included world travel, gardening, stamp collecting, history and genealogical research.
He was predeceased by his wife of 52 years, Virginia, and his wife of 16 years, Dorothy. He is survived by his son, David and his wife, Eleanor, of Florham Park, N.J.; his daughter, Margaret of Athens, Pa.; five grandchildren, Wendy Dickerson, Steven Ackerman, William Ackerman, Carrie Carroll and James Donald Jr., and 11 great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be sent to either the Endowment Fund of the Presbyterian Church of Livingston, N.J., or to The Ackerman Endowment Fund of the Presbyterian Church of Toms River, N.J.
Published in Star-Ledger on April 11, 2010
