Florence E Ackerman

Flo was born on January 25, 1945, to the late Andrew and Blanche (Angwin) Stack in Bellevue, PA. Being the youngest of four children and only the girl, Flo was a rough and tumble tomboy, preferring to spend her time outside with her horse Teddy, her dog Buttons, and Henry the rooster. This great affection for animals would be with her throughout her life and was most strongly felt for her beloved Aussie mix, Sydney.

Her late brothers, Andrew Jr., Harry, and Richard (Dick), but especially Harry and Dick, were avid sports enthusiasts who instilled in her a strong, and perhaps slightly unhealthy, sense of competition for any type of game or sport. She passed this trait on to her children Lisa McKellar and Eric McKellar. The “play to win” mentality applied to everything from Candyland and Boggle to baseball and bocce. The infamous summer-long backyard badminton tournaments resulted in numerous temper tantrums, a great deal of poor sportsmanship, three broken windows, two twisted knees, and sadly, one hummingbird’s death, when it crossed paths with a shuttlecock. This trait was also “painfully” obvious at larger family gatherings with her siblings and their families, where volleyball dominated the agenda, and no game was complete without a few minor injuries.

Flo enjoyed life to the fullest and always felt that there was more to do, see, learn, and eat. She had a great sense of adventure and never turned down the opportunity to travel, no matter how large or small the trip. She had a talent for making great fun out of very little and turned early family vacations with her late husband William (Bill) Ackerman, her unruly kids, their friends, a garish pop-up camper, she named the Gypsy, and one obese and very gassy dachshund into what seemed like trips of a lifetime. Later in life, she made numerous trips with Lisa and her partner John Hill to Iceland, London, Paris, Scotland, Venice, and California wine country (where she shipped large quantities of wine to their house in Washington, DC, to be schlepped back to her in Pittsburgh.) There was also a Portland, ME trip¬–to resolve once and for all the Maine versus Connecticut lobster roll debate (after four days of eating, Flo remained undecided and hoped for a return trip for further research).

Regardless of where she lived, Pittsburgh, PA or Greenville, SC, Flo spent countless hours tending to her beautiful gardens. She had a great knowledge about seeds, flowers, and trees. She believed strongly in the principles of organic gardening to create a habitat for birds, bees, butterflies, and all manner of wildlife except for bird feeder raiding rodents. The squirrels were her archenemy and she engaged in a lengthy battle with these pesky marauders to eliminate them from her yard. Flo finally conceded the squirrel war, but only after severely wounding her pride, injuring her arm, and shattering her glass patio door with a ricocheted BB pellet. “Live and let live,” she said, which made Bill extremely relieved. The yard had become a dangerous place for a time with so many flying projectiles.

Flo could be prickly on occasion with her strongly held opinions, encompassing a wide range of topics. She argued her ideas on the appropriate color for holiday lights, how to train a dog or the “true” recipe for city chicken just as fiercely as she debated politics, modern medicine, and health insurance! It was fair to say that she always took great interest in everything and engaged with everyone. Her big, fierce, energetic personality is going to be sorely missed.

While we grieve her loss immensely, we choose to remember Flo in a way that honors her spirit. Lisa and Eric invite you to join them for a Celebration of Life visitation at the H.P. Brandt Funeral Home 1032 Perry Hwy Pittsburgh PA 15237 on Thursday, June 29 from 2PM to 6:30PM. All are invited to the Chadwick 10545 Perry Hwy Pittsburgh Pa 15237 from 7PM to 10PM following her celebration of life. This gives us the opportunity to raise a glass in Flo's honor.

Flo appreciated all blooming things, but in lieu of flowers, would appreciate that contributions be made to Phipps Conservatory https://www.phipps.conservatory.org/donate ,

Tree Pittsburgh https://www.treepittsburgh.org/donate/, Animal Friends

Pittsburgh PA https://www.thinkingoutsidethecage.org/,or a charity of one’s choice.