Ronald Ralph Akers

Ronald Ralph Akers, 86, of Guntersville, Alabama, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, November 15, 2022, at Marshall Medical North hospital in Guntersville, Alabama. Born March 30,1936 in Troy Mills, Iowa, he was the son of Ralph E. Akers and Alice R. Akers. Ron grew up on a 165-acre farm where he and his beloved siblings – Dianne, Judith, and Donald – worked alongside their parents from a young age. This sculpted a powerful work ethic, strong self-motivation, and most importantly and pervasively, a love of family. At Troy Mills High School, he was a multi-sport athlete and excelled academically. After graduating in 1954, he joined the Army where he completed a two-year tour in Germany and other European stations, specializing in several technical specialties. After returning, Ron attended Iowa State University where he met his future wife, Beverly Jamison. From there, life moved quickly. They married in 1957, Ron graduated in 1961 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering as a member of the Pi Tau Sigma Honor Society, and they welcomed the first of four sons. After graduating, Ron moved his growing family to Pittsburgh, PA to continue his education. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1962. His professional career spanned 61 years. During this time, he was part of numerous patents, honored with many awards and distinctions but the part that was most rewarding to him was the camaraderie he shared with his family of coworkers. He often talked about his friendships and always enjoyed the mental engagement, discussion and solving problems. He started at Westinghouse in Pittsburgh, PA as a Mechanical/Electrical engineer and his analytical ability, commitment to teamwork and leadership qualities quickly made him the go-to person for solving complex/technical problems. He continued his career at Westinghouse and his family moved to Glenwood, MD to be close to the Sykesville, MD “Plant”. There he developed technologies and Induction Heating equipment for the automotive industry. He retired from Westinghouse after 25 years but did not slow down. He went on to accept a position at Tocco, Inc. in Detroit, Michigan, and a couple of years later took a position with Ajax/Tocco, Inc. in Boaz, Alabama. Never one to slow down, Ron finished out his career with a “retirement” that valued these life-long friendships and included continuing as a consultant and maintaining his property while enjoying his prized view of Lake Guntersville. While work brought him to Alabama, once settled Ron found love and companionship with his long-time partner Brenda Daniel. They enjoyed golf, the Gulf, and spending time with her family. Although his family was geographically dispersed - Denmark, Alaska, Wisconsin, Maryland, Alabama, Iowa, Ron made the effort and time to stay connected with family. Before the era of cell phones, he used cards for every occasion, sent packages, made countless long-distance calls from the land line, and undertook frequent travel to see his siblings, his sons and their families. He grew with the times though and was active on Facebook, loved his Apple Watch, IPAD and Alexa. He was strong on tradition and family values and despite the daunting distances and logistics, he spearheaded with his sister, many reunions at the family farm in Iowa that involved his extended family, siblings, cousins and 100’s of relatives who came for Pig Roasts. His efforts rivaled Woodstock with RV’s, tents, pools, tire swings, hayrack rides, motorized toys, and good food. His admirable get-up-and-go took him to every big event or holiday, no matter how distant. Because of this, we are blessed with cherished memories of long summer days, hilarious moments, strength during difficult times, and the love and warmth that big family provides. Ron had an affinity for driving the open-road and often chose driving over flying, even if it was an 18-hour road trip. Despite that, he traveled as far as Egypt for work and to connect with his Alaskan and Danish family. Ron enjoyed the adventure of outdoors and loved to hunt and fish, but only if it was with friends and family. Ron was an all-around good man but as a father, grandfather, brother, and uncle he will be missed dearly, remembered often, and loved always. He is survived by sons Brian Stewart Akers; Brent Ronald Akers and wife Paula; Blake Ralph Akers; Barry Lance Akers and wife Catherine; sister Dianne Graham and husband Bob; sister-in-law Pat Akers and brother-in-law George Berger He was blessed with 11 grandchildren; Sebastian, Cassandra, Victoria, Kevin, Sean, Jared, Cameron, Abigail, Matthew, Madison, and Jamison, who were his pride and joy. He was preceded in death by his parents Ralph and Alice Akers; grandson Sebastian Akers, his first wife Beverly Akers; sister Judith Berger, long-time partner Brenda Daniel; brother Donald Akers. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to JDRF (formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund) at https://www.jdrf.org/donate OR Autism Speaks Foundation at https://www.autismspeaks.org/donate-to-autism-speaks. Thank you for your love and generosity! Please include a note stating In Memory of Ronald Akers. Please send any notes of remembrance to the family at P.O. Box 639 Guntersville, Alabama 35976.

Ronald Ralph Akers

March 30, 1936 - November 15, 2022