Aaron J. Tickner

Aaron John (Kovar) Tickner November 7, 1958 - January 27, 2023 Aaron Tickner was born in Turlock, California on November 7, 1958 to Martha and Don Tickner and died January 25, 2023 at the age of 64 in New Kensington, Pennsylvania. Martha married Leo Kovar in 1963 when Aaron was five. Aaron was the second of five children in the family, and the only boy. They lived in Stockton and Richmond, California before moving to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1973. His first career was as a chef and food service professional, beginning at the Copper Penny in California at the age of 16. He earned his chops under the strict training of Friedman Paul "Chef Tell" Erhardt (chef at the Chestnut Hill Hotel in Philadelphia and a pioneering early television chef) where Aaron learned classic cooking and explored his own creativity and ingenuity in the kitchen. His career included all aspects of restaurant and food service management, working as a chef in a number of restaurants and managing food services for large institutions including colleges and major hotels across the country. He opened his own restaurant, the Open Hearth, in David City, Nebraska in 1992, which was known for its fine cuisine and lively environment. In 1998 he started his company, AccountAbility, and provided accounting services and management consultation to small businesses in the Pittsburgh area for over 20 years before selling the successful business to his daughter upon his recent retirement. Aaron was talented and driven, a master story-teller and lifelong thrill seeker with an affinity for fast cars and motorcycles. He loved music and was an avid amateur dj and a self-taught guitar player. He had a green thumb and enjoyed gardening on his property where he planted trees, fruit and flowers. He found friendship and community in Alcoholics Anonymous, and he struggled to live its principles. He was loved by his family and will be missed by many. Aaron Tickner is survived by his former wife Gillian Forrest, father Leopold Kovar, daughters and sons Kathryn Perrine (David), Rebecca Radcliffe (Mike), Daniel Tickner, Melissa Jasinowski (Alex), and Michael Tickner, grandchildren Bobby and Connor Smith, Tyler Perrine, and Annaliese and Nathan Radcliffe, sisters Yolanda Bailey (Larry), Rebecca Kovar (Scott Benjamin), Victoria Grasso (Dan), aunt Pat Layton, uncle Glenn Tickner, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his mother Martha Kovar, father Don Tickner, sister Druscilla Tickner, and uncles Richard Thompson, Leonard Kovar and Ed Layton. A service will be held Saturday, March 4, 2023 from 4:00pm-6:00pm at Thomas M. Smith Funeral Home & Crematory Ltd.; 930 Center Ave, Pittsburgh, Pa 15238 (Blawnox). www.thomasmsmithfuneralhome.com