Joan L. Acker

After a hard-fought battle with cancer, Joan Acker left her body and followed the light to everlasting peace. She was 72. Joan was compassionate and kind, and if there was a theme to her life, it was to take care of others. Love was truly the core of her life. She delighted in family and friends and found joy in the celebration of life's big and little moments, from weddings to camping trips, from coffee dates to book club meetings.She was genuinely altruistic in a humble and unassuming way. Several nights a month she served hot meals to those experiencing homelessness, and for at least a decade she organized a holiday gift exchange for hundreds of low-income families in Boulder. Joan grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the first daughter of Paul and Catherine Lauer. One of eight siblings, Joan attended Rosary College (now Dominican University) in Chicago where she studied sociology. There she made lifelong friends: a close-knit circle of women who, like Joan, were all willing to challenge the status quo, in ways that were often behind the scenes and unheralded.After graduating from college in 1969, Joan lived for 12 years in San Francisco, where she married and had her beloved daughter, Catherine. In the early 1980s, she and Catherine resettled in Boulder, close to extended family. It was there on a cross-country ski trip that she met her second husband, Paul Acker. For 30 years, she led the operations divisions of regional and national banks. She professed a love for finance, and thrived when she led teams to tackle the thorny behind-the-scenes challenges encountered at a commercial bank. In her retirement, she was a highly active member and leader at the Light of Christ Ecumenical Catholic Community, finding kinship with those who shared her beliefs and acted with compassion. She also enjoyed spending time with family and friends, hiking, cross-country skiing, hosting exchange students, sweating through fitness and yoga classes, traveling to destinations near and far, gardening, and taking long walks. She is deeply missed by her husband of 33 years, Paul Acker and her daughter, Catherine Schl gel, as well as brothers Jim, Mark and Rick Lauer and sisters Ginny Roach and Peg Stalter. She was preceded in death by her sister Mary Petri and brother Bob Lauer. Her 25 nieces and nephews, and the six great-nieces and nephews whom she considered grandchildren, were the light of her life. Her family invites you to join in a celebration of Joan's life at Light of Christ on March 12, 2020 at 11:00am. The church is located at 1000 W. 15th Avenue in Longmont, Colorado. In lieu of flowers, Joan asked for donations to Bridge House in her name.