Jenny Lynn Aker

Jenny was born on December 4, 1943, in Marshall Michigan. Her father was Jack Bartlemay, who managed a five-and-dime store. Her mother was Bette Bartlemay, who was an excellent chef at Win Shuler’s first restaurant in Michigan. Jenny had an older and a younger sibling, both who preceded her in death. Within a couple years of her birth, Jenny’s family moved to Beaver Dam Lake in Kosciusko County near Warsaw, Indiana. Her home was located upstairs in the Sportsman Club, a fine dining restaurant on the shores of Beaver Dam Lake, where many patrons from Warsaw came to dine. A few years later, the patrons of the Club convinced Jack and Bette to become the manager and chef of the local Elk’s Club in Warsaw, which became very popular due to Jack and Bette. Jenny’s family continued to reside on Beaver Dam Lake, while her parents worked in Warsaw. Jenny attended Warsaw High School. She was extremely popular. She was a homecoming queen and a cheerleader for the football and basketball teams for 4 years. It is there where she met her husband, Jim Aker, who played football, basketball and baseball for Warsaw High School. They fell in love when Jim was a senior and Jenny was a sophomore. They married for 58 years. Jim went to DePauw University and Jenny went to Ball State University. On graduation from DePauw, Jim went to Columbia University to obtain an MBA degree. He asked Jenny to forego her last two years at Ball State where she was studying to be an English major, to be with him in NYC and she agreed, with her parents’ consent. She worked as a receptionist for Union Carbide on Park Avenue and lived separately from Jim in Manhattan for one of his semesters. They married in 1965 and moved to Edgewater, NY, where they lived on the Hudson River, with a view of the George Washinton Bridge on the left and the Manhattan skyline on their right. Jenny was very supportive of Jim in his effort to obtain his MBA degree and Jenny believed that her experience gained in NYC was greater than what she would have gained at Ball State University. On graduation from Columbia, they moved to Lakeland, Florida, where Jim taught business courses at Florida Southern College. Again, Jenny was very supportive of Jim in his work and planning his lectures. In 1968, they moved to Gainesville, Florida, where Jim attended law school. Again, Jenny was there to support Jim in his efforts. Their first-born, Rocky, was born in Gainesville, Florida at the UF Shands Hospital in 1969. In 1971, they moved to Sarasota, Florida, where Jim joined the Icard Merrill law firm, and they lived on Siesta Key to the present. Jenny was very supportive of Jim’s endeavors in his law practice. Jenny gave birth to Gunner and Dusty in Sarasota. They live locally and Jenny has 7 grandchildren. The Aker family enjoyed their time together on Siesta Key. All three boys were good at sports and involved in football and baseball from age 9 through high school, and Rocky in college. Jim and Jenny attended all their games. This was the focus of their life through high school. Jenny was always there to support the boys and Jim in his work. They were the center of her life and the boys and Jim hold her instrumental in forming their character and their careers. She was the leader of the family at home. She gave of herself and asked for nothing in return. She was a strong Christian, followed her Christian beliefs and set an example for her boys. Everyone who met Jenny loved her. She loved playing tennis with a circle of women friends on a weekly basis, and sometimes daily. They would then have lunch together. After they stopped playing tennis due to age, they would get together for lunch on birthdays. Many of her friends on Siesta Key have said that they have never seen a more outgoing and energetic person. She would daily ride her bicycle through the Village with the family dog in the bike basket, stopping to talk with anyone who wished to do so. She would stop at her parents’ house near the beach and provided much care and services to them in their later years. She would often proceed to the beach to watch the sunset. She was a beautiful person, inside and out. She would often fix lunch for other kids in the neighborhood playing with her boys, not just the boys’ close friends. They referred to her as their “second mom.’’ She volunteered her time at the Out of Door Academy on Siesta Key to help elementary students with their English skills. She provided some medical aid to those in need in the Village, such as providing band aids, ice bags for their bruises, etc. She treated all equally. She was the epitome of a loving mother and wife. She will be sorely missed. In the last 7 years or so, Jenny’s health has not been good. Her lack of good hearing and macular degeneration have exacerbated her condition. She was ready for death at age 80 and died in Jim’s arms at home on June 10, 2024. Visitation will be from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the Toale Brothers Funeral Home at 40 N. Orange Avenue in downtown Sarasota, on Friday, June 14, 2024. A graveside funeral will be held at Sarasota Memorial Park Cemetery at 5833 S. Tamiami Trail on Saturday, June 15, 2024, at 5:00 pm.

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Jenny Lynn Aker

December 4, 1943 - June 10, 2024