Frederick W. Ackerman M.D. completed his circle of life; he passed away on Sunday July 26th 2009. His passing was peaceful at his Rossmoor home while he slept. He died of old age with contributing cardiac and pulmonary issues the side effects of smoking. He lived a full and great life. He was 84 and will be dearly missed. He is survived by his son and his wife, F.Ward and Ann Ackerman of Concord, and their three children, Alex (Walnut Creek), Laura (San Diego), and Alden (San Francisco). He is also survived by his daughter and her husband, Dale and Don Neill of Bend, Oregon and their three children (all in Bend) David and wife Jessica Kaiser; their children Jadon, Reilly, and Brooklyn; Bill Kaiser and his son Mathew, and Jamie Neill and her son Austin. He is also survived by his dear friend and companion, Barbara La Vigne of Rossmoor. Fred was predeceased by his dear wife of 52 years, Gloria and his sister, Carol Kilner of Palo Alto. Fred was born in San Francisco and moved to Piedmont, CA in1929. He attended Piedmont High School, Stanford University (Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity) and the Medical College of Wisconsin (Phi Chi Fraternity). He married Gloria Mordy on April18, 1948. He served as a surgeon in the Air Force, attaining the rank of Captain. He was stationed at Fairchild AFB in Spokane, Washington were he staunchly defended the trout stream next to his apartment during the Korean conflict from 1950 to1952. Fred was the first Board Certified surgeon in Contra Costa County. He practiced surgery in Concord from 1954 until his retirement in 1983, serving as Chief of Surgery at Mt. Diablo Hospital for many years. During this time he and his family lived happily in the Walnut Knolls area of Walnut Creek. Following retirement in 1986, he and Gloria moved to Rossmoor. Fred was a founding member of John Muir Memorial Hospital. He and his father-in-law, William H Mordy served on JMMH's first board of directors. During Fred's practice he was very involved with organized medicine. He served as president of the Alameda-Contra Costa County Medical Society from 1966-1967. Between 1975 and 1978 served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the California Medical Association. During this time he was a registered lobbyist, advising then Governor Jerry Brown. He was instrumental in the passage of the medical insurance liability legislation. Fred also served on the AMA Council on Legislation from 1974-1983 and served as its chairman from 1979-1981. During this time he advised US Congress on medical legislation. Following retirement Fred served on the board of the Hospice of Contra Costa, now Hospice of the East Bay. He served as its President from 1996 to 1998. He was also a long time member of Rotary. He served as President of Rossmoor's Rotary chapter from 2001-2002. Fred's interests were in golf, fly fishing, boating, traveling, poker, and music. In his heyday he had a low golf handicap. In his later years he could be seen driving his golf cart all over Rossmoor. He grew up spending many summers at the family vacation house at Lake Tahoe, learning to fish at a young age. He has fly fished around the world. He bonefished the reefs of Christmas Island, fished for every trout throughout the US, New Zealand, Canada and Alaska. He also spent time in salt water. He fished for marlin and sailfish in Mexico and South America and trolled for salmon in the San Juan Islands of British Columbia. Fred found and is the namesake of a very special spot on the Pit River, "Ackerman's Hole," a magical spot where he caught many large trout, sometimes more in number than was real. Having spent so much time at Tahoe, Fred developed a passion for the water. Starting with the family ski boat on the lake and evolving into boating on the Delta. For three summers the family vacation entailed rental of 55 ft cabin cruisers and spending a month exploring the San Juan Islands of British Columbia. Traveling was always a love of Fred and Gloria. They loved cruise lines. They cruised the world, literally. They took a 91-day trip around the world. Fred's favorite spot was the Antarctic; he developed a real thing for penguins. It was on their second world cruise that Gloria became ill and had to be air ambulanced from Buenos Aires, passing away ten days later. Fred was an avid lover of games. During his professional years, he was a member of a close nit group of similar professionals that met once a month for poker. One particular hand, that he actually framed, ended with two straight flushes, his to the 8 and his opponent's to the 7. He loved playing bridge, dominos, cribbage, craps and solitaire. When it came to music, Dixieland Jazz was his heaven. Fred attended concerts, theater, and fine dining until the end with his second love, Barbara. He was the best father, adviser, provider, and friend a family could have. I could not end without mentioning one last life long situation. Fred graduated from Stanford, he was a life long Alumni supporter. His door mat was the Stanford University logo. Gloria was a Cal grad. Life at home was always interesting around "Big Game" weekend. Give them the axe. Fred was a friend of Bill W. He believed it saved his life. At Fred's request there will be no services. His cremated remains will privately be dispersed by his family. Contributions in his memory may be made to Hospice of the East Bay or the charity of your choice. Published in San Francisco Chronicle on August 9, 2009