Robert "Bob" A. Ackerman, 74, Rapid City, died Friday, April 19, 2013 at his home in Rapid City.

Visitation will be Tuesday, April 23, 2013 at the Kinkade Funeral Chapel in Sturgis from noon until 9 p.m.

Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday April 24, 2013 at the Canyon Lake Methodist Church in Rapid City with Pastor Eric Grinager officiating. Burial with military honors by the Sturgis Veterans Honor Guard follows at the Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis.

A memorial has been established to the National Parkinson's Disease Research Foundation and the University of South Dakota Chemistry Department.

Bob was born in Aberdeen, SD, on August 25, 1938, to Al and Marion (Daschel) Ackerman. After graduating from Aberdeen Central High School, he served in the US Navy and then attended and graduated from the University of South Dakota. Upon graduation, he started working for Mason and Hanger Engineering Company and managed several governmental facilities, including the Water Desalination Plant in Webster, SD, an ammunition plant in Burlington, IA, and the Oil Spill Research Facility in Leonardo, New Jersey.

In 1980, Bob returned to Aberdeen and, along with his brother, Charles, he owned and managed Ackerman Welding Supply Company. After selling the business in 1992, Bob worked for the National Welding Association and conducted seminars and trainings throughout the United States on safety and regulatory issues related to the Welding Supply Industry. He did this until 2001, when Parkinson's Disease no longer allowed him to continue.

Also, in 1991, Bob supervised the construction of a home at the base of Deer Mountain, near Lead, and he and his wife and daughter operated a Bed and Breakfast until 2001.

Bob had a commercial pilot's license and flew his own plane for many years. He was an avid reader and especially knowledgeable in World War II history. Bob enjoyed working with wood and built everything from toys for his daughter to furniture for his home to taking part in the construction and additions to his home. Bob especially enjoyed opera and was an avid follower of opera singer, Luciano Pavarotti, and Bob and Vonnie attended several Pavarotti concerts throughout the United States.

Bob was a member of Kiwanis for over forty years, and he served in many of the offices in the organization in the various communities in which he lived.

Survivors include his wife LaVonne "Vonnie" Whitman-Ackerman, Rapid City; daughter, Carrie Ackerman, Sturgis, SD; sisters Donna (Eric) Chalimonczyk, Fargo, ND, Barbara (Jim) Hundstad, Bath, SD; brother, Roger (Marcia) Ackerman, Apache Junction, AZ; Vonnie's sister, Gloria (Ivan) Montgomery, Rochester, NY; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his son, Larry Allan; brothers, Charles and Richard; and parents, Alvin and Marion Ackerman.