Shirley Rose Bilao was born in Houston, Texas to Esther Fasullo Bilao and Tony Bilao on May 10, 1925. When she was ten years old she met Johnny Ackerman when his father bought land next door to her family. During World War II while her future husband was serving in the South Pacific, Shirley moved to De Ridder, Lousiana where she worked at Camp Polk as a secretary supporting the outfitting of the troops before they shipped out. She went to two USO dances a week, all her father would allow, and corresponded with countless soldiers writing hundreds of letters to boys she barely knew to help keep up their spirits. She wrote to one of those soldiers just a little more frequently than the others and on June 5, 1946 Johnny married that girl next door. She retired from her secretarial career to become a full time wife and mother. Over the next 18 years she and Johnny had five children, Rose Mary, Cathy, Mary, Tony and Lisa. This large family was the focus of her life. Shirley was an only child and she wanted a houseful of kids. She stressed a love of learning and the importance of hard work. She welcomed her childrens' spouses into her family and treated them as though they were her own. She loved all her grandchildren equally and accepted the step grandchildren in the same spirit. When Johnny retired from the phone company and bought a travel trailer she became his enthusiastic partner on the road. Together they visited 37 states and Canada although they did spend a disproportionate amount of time in states that had casinos. Laughlin, Nevada was a particular favorite stop. Many times one or more of the children and their families joined them and all of them can tell great stories about traveling with Johnny and Shirley. After most of their lives in their house in Hunters Creek Village they moved into an apartment in the Buckingham seven years ago and made the move to the assisted living area four years ago as their health became more fragile. Shirley was wheel chair bound the last year of her life and she was struggling with mild dementia. An illness that caused her to have emergency surgery ended her life after 8 days in the hospital. She was asleep and at peace during that time and her family had time to say goodbye. She will be missed immensely. She was an amazing wife and an awesome Mother and her influence will continue as long as those whose lives she touched are alive.
Shirley Rose Bilao was born in Houston, Texas to Esther Fasullo Bilao and Tony Bilao on May 10, 1925. When she was ten years old she met Johnny Ackerman when his father bought land next door to her family. During World War II while her future husband was serving in the South Pacific, Shirley moved to De Ridder, Lousiana where she worked at Camp Polk as a secretary supporting the outfitting of the troops before they shipped out. She went to two USO dances a week, all her father would allow, and corresponded with countless soldiers writing hundreds of letters to boys she barely knew to help keep up their spirits. She wrote to one of those soldiers just a little more frequently than the others and on June 5, 1946 Johnny married that girl next door. She retired from her secretarial career to become a full time wife and mother. Over the next 18 years she and Johnny had five children, Rose Mary, Cathy, Mary, Tony and Lisa. This large family was the focus of her life. Shirley was an only child and she wanted a houseful of kids. She stressed a love of learning and the importance of hard work. She welcomed her childrens' spouses into her family and treated them as though they were her own. She loved all her grandchildren equally and accepted the step grandchildren in the same spirit. When Johnny retired from the phone company and bought a travel trailer she became his enthusiastic partner on the road. Together they visited 37 states and Canada although they did spend a disproportionate amount of time in states that had casinos. Laughlin, Nevada was a particular favorite stop. Many times one or more of the children and their families joined them and all of them can tell great stories about traveling with Johnny and Shirley. After most of their lives in their house in Hunters Creek Village they moved into an apartment in the Buckingham seven years ago and made the move to the assisted living area four years ago as their health became more fragile. Shirley was wheel chair bound the last year of her life and she was struggling with mild dementia. An illness that caused her to have emergency surgery ended her life after 8 days in the hospital. She was asleep and at peace during that time and her family had time to say goodbye. She will be missed immensely. She was an amazing wife and an awesome Mother and her influence will continue as long as those whose lives she touched are alive.
