Obituary of Laurie K Ackerman

Laurie Burroughs Ackerman, 55, a resident of Poughquag, New York, died on Tuesday, January 10, 2012, after a long illness. Born in Newton, Massachusetts on January 13, 1956, she was the daughter of the late Eugene Burroughs and June Francis. Laurie grew up in Lincoln, Massachusetts. She attended Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School, graduating in 1974. She earned a BA in Psychology at the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) and an MSW at the Simmons College School of Social Work in Boston. On August 7, 1993, Laurie married Steve Ackerman. Their son Nicholas was born in 1994, and their son William in 1996. The family moved from Brooklyn to Poughquag in 2000. In addition to her husband and children, Laurie is survived by her sister Gail Fitzpatrick and Gail's husband, Thomas, of Carlisle, MA, sister Monica Mangan and Monica's husband, Richard, of Tucson, sister Wendy Burroughs and Wendy's husband, Mike Olson, of Tucson, mother-in-law, Dianne Ackerman, of Doylestown, PA, sister-in-law Lisa McCole of Doylestown, sister-in-law Susan Perez and Susan's husband, Frank, of Doylestown, step-father, John Francis, of Tucson, uncle and aunt, Richard and Marcy Burroughs, of Palm Desert, CA, dear friends, Beth Moses-Yang and Sarah Stanley, and by many adored nieces and nephews. During Laurie's illness, she was the recipient of much devotion and many acts of kindness from family, friends, colleagues and neighbors, especially from her sister Wendy, mother-in-law, Dianne, and friend Sarah. Laurie was employed by Astor Services for Children & Families as a licensed clinical social worker from 2000 to 2010. She worked in the Astor/BOCES Adolescent Day Treatment Program in Poughkeepsie where she did individual and family counseling with adolescents. Laurie had a deep empathy and a genuine affection for the students with whom she worked. Laurie was a loving and devoted wife and mother. She was strong-willed, organized, hardworking and intelligent. She wanted to make a home for her family full of beauty, order and love. She liked a cup of coffee in the morning, a cup at bedtime and many cups in between. She took great pleasure in tending her flower and vegetable garden. It was true for her that the "earth laughs in flowers" and her garden was an expression of her delight in life. She enjoyed family vacations and over the years spent many pleasurable summer weeks on Cape Cod - relaxing at Marconi Beach (when she wasn't vigilantly watching her children in the water), biking on the Cape Cod Rail Trail and searching for treasures among the summer bric-a-brac of the seashore, the yard sale and the flea market. Laurie most enjoyed spending time with her family, especially her children, Nick and Will. She loved her children deeply and they brought her great joy. Memorial donations in Laurie's name may be made to The Children's Foundation of Astor either online at http://www.astorservices.org/giving.php or by mail to P.O. Box 5005, Rhinebeck, NY 12572-9913. Calling hours will be held Sunday, January 15, 2012 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Timothy P. Doyle Funeral Home, 371 Hooker Avenue, Poughkeepsie. A private memorial service will be held at the convenience of the family.