George L. Ackerman

NEWPORT NEWS - George L. Ackerman, 61, who tempted taste buds and pampered palates for 35 years as owner of the Warwick Cheese Shoppe, died unexpectedly Jan. 3, 2014. Born in California, he was the youngest of L.C. "Bud" Ackerman and Barbara Bohlken Ackerman's children. He grew up in California, Wisconsin, Ontario, Canada and Newport News and attended University School of Milwaukee, Hampton Roads Academy and St. John's College. After working as a wine salesman for Broudy-Kantor Co., George, helped by his father, bought the Cheese Shoppe in 1978. The store was a family effort from the start. Over the years, nearly a dozen relatives and in-laws pitched in by making sandwiches, gift baskets and deliveries; washing dishes; keeping the books and accommodating the capricious demands of a small business. But George was the big cheese, heart and soul of the enterprise. He was adept at finding white-collar wines for blue-collar budgets and encouraging customers - many of them friends - to try a new cheese, sausage or sandwich special. He shared his knowledge and expertise with fellow wine aficionados and dinner guests alike. George also dispensed jokes from behind the store's counter, repeating the good ones often. As a taste maker, he helped expand and elevate local food options. The Cheese Shoppe was one of the first businesses in the area to carry gummi bears, single-origin coffees, freshly baked bagels, paté, craft beers and imports for which expats longed. The store's house dressing and trademark sandwiches taste the same in 2014 as they did in 1978, fulfilling expectations perfectly. George took pride in that. He improved the Peninsula in other ways, helping the Warwick Rotary Club build the forerunner of the Virginia Living Museum and tutoring students at Sedgefield Elementary School and Gildersleeve Middle School. George contributed to the original Fort Fun at Huntington Park, a new Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church and Peninsula Catholic High School and was a founding shareholder in Harbor Bank. His store supported Little-League baseball, youth sailing, the Poor Clares and St. Vincent's Backdoor Ministry. He didn't belong to any religious community but was a man of conscience and civic responsibility. Sunday mornings were spent admiring raptors wheeling overhead while picking up roadside trash in Newport News. George could be spotted cycling to and from work on Warwick Boulevard when weather permitted. He was an avid sailor and participant in races in the waters of Hampton Roads. George was a member of the Lafayette Gun Club and its shotgun committee and loved to shoot clays when he wasn't sailing or driving his vintage Nissan 300ZX TT. His musical tastes, which he shared with customers, ranged from opera and symphonies to the accordion stylings of Flaco Jimenez and Bela Fleck's banjo virtuosity. He loved the Rolling Stones even more. He followed politics with fervor and never hesitated to share his opinion or cancel his wife's vote. Survivors include his wife, Marguerite Hargreaves; daughter, son-in-law and grandson Cecelia, Patrick and Nathan Theobald of Nashville; son Greg Ackerman of Richmond; siblings Nancy and Mike Burnaugh of Marietta, Ga., Janet and Bob Lesser of Macon, N.C., John and Lane Ackerman of Novelty, Ohio; and Barbara and Dale Arnold of Bowling Green, Ohio. He loved his nieces and nephews - Becky, Kara, Brian, David, Jack, Colleen, Megan, Gail, Colin, Erin, Evan, Analiese and Ames - and mother-in-law, Frankie Hargreaves. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 8, at Peninsula Funeral Home. A memorial service will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9, at The Mariners' Museum. George's table fellowship was legendary; please bring a dish, a beverage and a story to share to the memorial service. Burial will be private. To honor George's memory, hoist a glass, vote early and often and patronize your favorite small business.