Valentina Ackermann

Valentina “Valia” Ackermann ascended to Heaven on Saturday, October 29th, 2022. Born to loving parents in Ukraine on International Women’s Day, March 8th, 1938, Valia was the oldest of four children. Her family was forced from their motherland during World War II and settled in France for nearly a decade. Along the way, she developed an unshakeable faith in God that would guide and comfort her throughout her life.

While in France, Valia’s father dreamed of bringing his family to the United States where their Christian faith was more prevalent. After seven years of struggling to overcome the stigma of having lived in a communist country, he finally achieved his family’s dream of securing a permanent home in America. In time, Valia married a United States Army officer and gave birth to three beautiful children of her own. After tours of duty in several locations, she and her family determined that Hampton Roads is where they felt most at home. She became a devout member of Liberty Baptist Church (now Liberty Live) where she made many lifelong friends and cherished memories. She also opened a hair and nail salon in Hampton called You’re Someone Special that remains open nearly 30 years later.

Anyone that met Valia has a story about her faith, kindness, generosity, or sense of humor. She gave everything she ever had to her church, family, friends, and the girls that worked at her shop. She loved Jesus with all her heart, and she could spend an entire day telling anyone that would listen about all the blessings she had received in her life. Her constant words of encouragement and love, and her steady flow of Bible verses will be dearly missed.

She is survived by her children Mark, Lisa, and Kurt, their children Markie, Molly, Sara, Zoey, Madalynn, Alexandra, Shayna, Kameron, and Chandler, her many adored great-grandchildren, her brother, and her beloved nieces and nephews. She is undoubtedly rejoicing in her reunion with her mother, father, brother, and sister as she assumes her much-deserved place in the Lord’s kingdom and smiles down upon us all.

In lieu of Flower you can make a memorial donation to www.sushijos.org or mail a check to His Children Inc. P.O. BOX 7902, Paducah, KY 42002.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared below for the Ackermann family.