Joan Schairer Ackerman died peacefully at home on Sunday, Sept. 9, 2012. She was living the good life with her husband, Don, in Ocala, Fla.
Joan moved to Tryon in 1978 with her husband, Fred Schairer, and daughter, Jane. She started a catering business in 1980 and stayed with it until 1996, having built her own building on Trade Street. She often thought of the wonderful times and experiences she had in the catering business. So many customers became really good friends.
She is survived by her husband, Donald Ackerman of Ocala, Fla.; two daughters, Jane Shairer of Cary, N.C. and Susan Dillion of Tryon, and a sister, Mary Harper of Mesa, Ariz. She is also survived by a granddaughter, Chrissy, and a great-granddaughter, Lexie, in addition to 18 nieces and nephews.