Charles Lee Ackman

CAMDEN — Charles Lee Ackman, 81, died on Aug. 23, 2024, at Kettering Hospital in Dayton, due to complications from epilepsy.

The son of Lyle G. Ackman Sr. and Verba (Morris,) he was born on Nov. 20, 1942, in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was a resident of Benton, Arkansas until 1955 when his family relocated to Ohio. Mr. Ackman graduated from Shawnee High School in 1961 and entered Ohio University, majoring in chemistry. He left college after one year to join the electrical apprenticeship program of IBEW Local 648 where he rose to the position of journeyman; he remained a member of the local until his death (61 years.) He was a lifelong supporter of the union and held various leadership roles within the local.

In 1991, Mr. Ackman, in collaboration with his wife, created Miami Valley Electrical Services which provided commercial electrical services throughout Southwestern Ohio. In 1964, Mr. Ackman experienced a pivotal point in his life due to a work accident when he fell onto high tension wires. He survived the accident with the loss of all but two fingers on each hand. His determination would not allow himself to be defined or limited by the experience. He was a gifted athlete and passionate competitor. In 1961, he damaged his rotator cuff trying out for professional baseball as a third baseman. Although a baseball career was cut short, he competed in a variety of sports until finding golf in the late 1960s. Soon after, he joined the Liberty Country Club of Liberty, Indiana, where he eventually had a scratch handicap and was in constant pursuit of the club championship. Equal to his passion for golf was his love of knowledge and reading. He loved anything in print. He visited a bookstore nearly every week of his adult life until bookstores began to disappear. As an autodidact, there were few challenges he couldn't solve through reading, whether building his own computers to rebuilding the engine of his Volkswagen Bug.

Many of his hobbies were an extension of his passion for learning and exploration of his eccentric interests, including roasting coffee, creating the perfect brisket, and fly fishing for bass with his own hand-tied flies. Mr. Ackman was an avid outdoorsman. In retirement, he took long daily walks with his dog Gasper throughout Woodland Trails across from his home. He also loved fishing and, earlier in life, hunting. In the early 2000s, Mr. Ackman and his wife converted their farmland to a tallgrass prairie ecosystem with an acre-sized pond and walking trails for their enjoyment. In the remaining years of his life, he was passionate about adopting and caring for abandoned pets, starting with his dog Gasper and cats Moxie and Peanut.

Mr. Ackman was preceded in death by his parents Lyle and Verba, and half-brothers Wilbur Ackman and Frank Carter Jr.

He is survived by his wife of nearly 58 years, Celeste (Ehrhardt) Ackman; his children: Olen Ackman (Jennifer Young) of New Albany, Sonya Ackman (Jonathan Schwartz) of Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan; grandchildren: Sydney Schwartz and Sigrid Schwartz of Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan; his brother Lyle Ackman Jr. of Phoenix, Arizona; several nieces and nephews.

A graveside service will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 28, at 11:30 a.m. at Fairmount Cemetery, 7371 Camden Rd., Camden, OH 45311.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Preble County Humane Society, 951 S. Barron St., Eaton, OH 45320, (humanesocietypc.com,) an organization to which Mr. Ackman was strongly devoted. www.BalesFH.com.