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2014 SESSION
14104287DWHEREAS, George L. Ackerman, owner of the Warwick Cheese Shoppe in Newport News, who introduced residents of the Peninsula to the pleasures of fine wines, cheeses, and other fare, died on January 3, 2014; and
WHEREAS, George Ackerman was born in California, and as a boy lived in Wisconsin and Ontario, Canada, before moving to Newport News; he attended University School of Milwaukee, Hampton Roads Academy, and St. John’s College; and
WHEREAS, George Ackerman purchased the Warwick Cheese Shoppe in 1978 and found his life’s work; members of his family helped where needed, providing early financial backing, preparing food and gift baskets, making deliveries, keeping the books, and cleaning up; and
WHEREAS, the shop often was the first in the area to showcase new foods and wines, and George Ackerman delighted in offering his customers a savory sausage or another imported delicacy—perhaps with an extraordinary wine—as a way of sharing his love of good food and wine; and
WHEREAS, happy to have set down roots in Newport News, George Ackerman gave back to the community; he was a tutor at two public schools, helped the Warwick Rotary Club build the forerunner of the Virginia Living Museum, and contributed to Huntington Park’s original Fort Fun playground; and
WHEREAS, George Ackerman and the Warwick Cheese Shoppe also helped young people and the less fortunate in the Newport News area by supporting Little League baseball, youth sailing, the backdoor ministry of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, and the Poor Clare Sisters, a religious order; and
WHEREAS, an outdoors enthusiast and a music lover, George Ackerman was a competitive sailor and belonged to the Lafayette Gun Club; he happily shared his wide-ranging musical tastes—the Rolling Stones, Béla Fleck, Flaco Jiménez, opera, and classical symphonies—with his customers; and
WHEREAS, George Ackerman was a founding shareholder in Harbor Bank, a contributor to a new building for Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church, and a supporter of Peninsula Catholic High School; and
WHEREAS, a loving husband and father, George Ackerman will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by his wife, Marguerite; his children, Cecelia and Greg, and their families; and many other family members, friends, and customers of Warwick Cheese Shoppe; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of George L. Ackerman, owner of Warwick Cheese Shoppe, and active supporter of the Newport News community; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of George L. Ackerman as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.