Michael F. Van Acker

Michael Van Acker, 71, of Bettendorf, Iowa, died Saturday, October 9, 2021, at Genesis Medical Center, Davenport, Iowa.

Services are 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. James Lutheran Church, 3145 31st Avenue, Rock Island. Burial is in Moline Memorial Park. Visitation is 9 a.m. until funeral time Wednesday. Memorials may be made to Friends of Lake Wapello or Rock Island County Children's Advocacy Center. Trimble Funeral Home, Moline, is serving Mike’s family.

Michael Frederick Van Acker was born March 28, 1950, in Rock Island, to Frederick and Jean (Dismer) Vanacker. He graduated from St. Ambrose University, and married Kathleen McCarthy Torres on May 18, 2003. A huge advocate for children who impacted the lives of many families, Mike was a social worker for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services for 30 years, retiring in 2012. He previously worked at Bethany Home.

Mike was a member of Salem Lutheran Church, Moline, DCFS Retirees, and Friends of Lake Wapello. He loved the National Parks and was an avid fan of the Chicago Bears, the Illini, and St. Louis Cardinals. A man of many interests, he enjoyed walking in any weather, playing Euchre and Mexican train dominoes, Star Wars, Beach Boys, John Wayne and Western shows. He adored his “expensive mutt” Cookie, and his 1975 LeSabre convertible which he purchased new.

Mike is survived by his wife, Kathy; his daughter, Jessica Van Acker of Moline; his mother Jean Steelman of Moline; a stepson, Wade Torres, his wife Donna and their children, Xavier and Tehya of Attleboro, Massachusetts; and his brother and sister-in-law, Greg and Ellie Van Acker of Sacramento, California. He was preceded in death by his father and stepmother, Frederick and Linnea Vanacker, and his stepfather, Dick Steelman.

Mike’s family invites friends to share stories and condolences at TrimbleFuneralHomes.com.