Bernard Ackerman
Business owner in medical field and authority on catheters, 'erudite and optimistic,' of Metuchen, 92
Bernard Ackerman, 92, of Metuchen, N.J., and Stockbridge, Mass., died peacefully on June 18, 2019.
The devoted husband of Nancy (nee Bernstein) for 53 years, he was the generous and loving father of Terri, Sandra, and Howard; the delighted grandfather of Lionel, Jesse, Judith, Natalie, and Meghan, and the admiring great-grandfather of Adam, Ilona, Miklos, and Mira.
After Nancy's death, he enjoyed a second happy marriage with Millicent ("Penny") Frankel, taking her children Shari, Edward, and Lynn and their children and grandchildren into the circle of his affection as well.
He was born in the Bronx, N.Y., and received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Cornell University and his doctoral degree, in biochemistry, from Pennsylvania State University. Combining a creative mind with a scientific background, he was the author of eight US patents relating to the use of catheters in medicine.
Equally skilled in working with employees and in business planning, he founded and managed three successful ventures in medical instrumentation: Electro-Catheter Corporation, Ackrad Laboratories, and Triad Medical, as well as Beaudura, an artisanal furniture company.
"Bud," as he was known to his many friends, loved opera, politics, and baseball, discovering new wines and trading old jokes. He will long be missed for his unique blend of erudition, optimism, and common sense, along with his empathy, modesty, and humor.
Donations in his memory made be made to Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, or the Metropolitan Opera Guild.