116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Obituaries
The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Akers, Patrick M.
and Elizabeth (Roe) Akers. Growing up in Morse, Pat met and married Vivian Wildman on July 10, 1938, in Chicago. During World War II, Pat served in the U.S. Navy as a Seaman 2nd class in the South Pacific on the aircraft carrier USS Gambier Bay. When the ship was sunk by enemy fire, Pat and his surviving shipmates survived three days and two nights in the water before being rescued. These men formed the Old Shipmates and stayed in touch for many years. He was also a member of the Iowa City VFW.
Pat was a dry cleaner for over 30 years, working for many local dry cleaners. He farmed in southern Johnson County and also worked for Breese Plumbing and in maintenance at Mercy Iowa City. Pat and Vivian retired and lived in Williamsburg for 13 years.
Survivors include his wife, Vivian; daughters, Sheila (Wayne) Chapman of Hills, Nancy (Gerald) Mullnix of Williamsburg and Mary Fox of Waynesboro, Va.; 13 grandchildren; 29 great-grandchildren; and five great-great-grandchildren.
Pat was preceded in death by his parents; a son, Patrick Akers Jr.; a grandson, Patrick Fox; nine brothers; and two sisters.
Online condolences may be directed to
Daily Newsletters