CAMDEN — David Louis Akers, 78, died peacefully in Portland April 24, 2022, with loving family by his side.

After graduating from the University of Illinois in the mid-60s and starting a family in 1970, Dave embarked on a successful 30-year career with the Center for Disease Control which took him across the country, while he earned numerous promotions and accolades. In 1986, Dave and his family moved to Camden where, for the first time, they truly felt they were home.

Dave was an avid reader with a particular fondness for history. He could discuss the Peloponnesian War and the U.S. Civil War with equal authority and enthusiasm. He loved the English language and was a gifted communicator, verbally and in writing. Dave was a generous soul and an eternal optimist. He loved animals, old movies, old music, and old cars. He was “retro” before it was a thing.

In the last years of his life, Dave bravely fought against vascular dementia and, due to significant cognitive reserves, was able to maintain much of his lifestyle through the very end. He was a proud man with little use for doctors or medications. Dave insisted things be done “his way” and had no regrets.

Dave was predeceased by his wife, Ellen; and his parents, Lou and Shirley.

He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Michael and Megan; grandsons, Jamie and Archer; brothers and sisters-in-law, Jim, Diane, John and Wanda; and many nieces and nephews. Other special friends, colleagues and acquaintances also mourn his loss.

The family wishes to thank the wonderful people of Camden for always treating Dave with kindness, respect, and dignity even when things got tough. He will be sorely missed.