Doris M Acker

Doris M. Acker, 97, passed away peacefully on November 20, 2025 surrounded by her loving family.

Born in Waterville, New York, on September 7, 1928, Doris was the daughter of Michael and Inez Clark Dempsey. She graduated from Waterville Central School in 1946 and from the Utica School of Beauty Culture in 1948.

Doris met the love of her life, Walter W. Acker, at a local dance. They were married in 1952 at St. Bernard's Catholic Church. The couple first made their home in Deansboro, where Doris opened her own hair salon, MiOwn Beauty Shop. They later returned to Waterville, settling on Babbott Ave and welcoming their first child in 1957.

In 1971, Doris re-opened her beauty salon right next to their home, where she worked for the next 24 years. After retiring in 1995, Doris and Walt embraced the life of snowbirds, dividing their time between Waterville and in Ormond Beach, Florida. In 2010 they made one final move to San Antonio, Texas to live with their daughter and son-in-law, Susan and Russ Moravec.

Doris was devoted to God and to her family whom she raised in the Catholic faith. She enjoyed line dancing (well into her 80s), playing cards, and family gatherings. She was also an avid reader and took great delight in keeping up with friends and family on Facebook.

She lives on in the hearts of her five daughters and their spouses - Jan and Chris Golding, Audrey and Mark Lavalle, Susan and Russ Moravec, Judy Acker and Brian Holt, Laurie Moon and Vincent Yaccano - along with 10 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great grandchildren.

Doris is preceded in death by her husband, her parents; her brother, Harold "Bud" Dempsey; her sisters, Helen Dempsey Molling and Jeanette Dempsey; and her beloved granddaughter, Valerie Bugbee.

The funeral mass will be held at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, in San Antonio, TX, at 11 am on December 18, 2025.

A graveside service will be held at 11 am at the St. Bernard's Catholic Cemetery on June 13, 2026 followed by a Celebration of Life at the St. Bernard's Catholic Church, in Waterville, NY.