Mary M. Aker

Written by her Son, Ron Aker

Mom was born on January 5th 1923 in Clifton New Jersey. Born to Italian immigrants she was an only child until her brother Bob was born 14 years later. Mom was a part of what is called the greatest generation. This generation survived the Great Depression and World War 2. Mom lived her early life on the east coast graduating from high school and then Business College. Mom then went to work for a company called Wright Aeronautical doing her part for the war effort. She then had the opportunity to come to California to live with her Aunt and Uncle. This is where she met my Dad and three months later they were married right here in this same chapel over 72 years ago. Mom and Dad started their life here in southern California but then a job opportunity opened up in New York so they moved there. Mom couldn't handle the cold weather anymore so after about 2 years they again moved back to Southern California and never left. Mom had two very strong characteristics that pretty much directed her life. First she was a workaholic. Mom was always employed and worked tirelessly up until she retired at 65. Some of the jobs she had were at the May Co., Nesbitts beverage Co. and finally Sparkletts Drinking Water where she retired from after 25 years. The only times that she didn't work was for six weeks after her Son was born and about six months after a major back surgery. Her second strong characteristic was her love for her homes. Mom and Dad over the years bought and sold at last count 17 houses. Every one of those homes looked just like a model home. After a full day of work Mom would come home fix dinner for Dad and me and then work for many hours cleaning and dusting whatever needed to be done. I definitely remember Wednesday nights was a venetian blind cleaning night and it was never missed. Many a vacation was never taken because Mom wanted to stay home and work on the house to complete whatever project was at hand. By the early 80's both Mom and Dad decided it was time to retire. Just about that time her grandchildren were born. Her grandson Ryan and granddaughter Monica were her pride and joy. These kids could do no wrong in her eyes and sometimes we disagreed on how discipline should be administered. She was always available to babysit or to take care when one of them was sick. Soon both grandchildren became involved in youth sports and Mom was their biggest fan. I can count on one hand the number of games Mom may have missed. When her grandson Ryan went off to college to play football Mom could not make the games but to be sure every Sunday she had Dad scouring the sports pages to see what the score was. I did get Mom on a plane to see one of Ryan's games and it was one of the most exciting games that team ever played. In my heart I am so grateful that Mom got to see at least one game. Soon after retirement Mom and Dad got into camping and motorhomes. They both traveled the country for quite a few years and went through three motorhomes. Mom enjoyed catching up with old friends and relatives that she hadn't seen in many years. After many trips and miles Mom and Dad decided to give up the camping lifestyle as it was becoming more and more difficult to handle the long drives. In September of 2011 Dad passed away and left Mom alone. Mom being the very independent and strong willed woman that she was handled living alone very well. One day she took a tumble and fell and broke her pelvis. After a stay in the hospital she came to live with me and my wife Tillie. Tillie took real good care of her and nursed her back to health and after about three months she was ready to go back home. She did pretty well at home but soon there was another incident that ended with Mom back in the hospital. Once Mom was out of the hospital we, as a family we got together and told her that she could no longer live by herself and we welcomed her into my home. It really was a great time for both her and Tillie as they both enjoyed going out shopping almost every day. It was an adventure and they formed a loving bond. Just over two years ago Moms first great Grandson River was born and just 19 months later the second Great Grandson Jaxon came into our lives. I don't know if she ever like the term Great Grandma but when she was around the boys she just loved to watch them play and laugh. She just couldn't get enough of their smiles and laughter and truly loved them very much. These past few months Moms health started to deteriorate pretty rapidly. After numerous doctor visits and hospital stays Mom took her final breath on February 21, 2017. She will be sincerely missed and was very much loved by her friends and family.