AUTOPSY LEAVES QUESTIONS UNANSWERED; SERVICE SET FOR TODAY FOR WOMAN WHO DIED AFTER CHILDBIRTH.

Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer

A 37-year-old city employee who died hours after giving birth to her second child will be laid to rest today during funeral and graveside services at Eternal Valley Memorial Park.

A memorial for Elizabeth Ackerman of Valencia will be held at the mortuary chapel, 23287 N. Sierra Highway. Interment will follow in the Garden of Liberty section of Eternal Valley.

Ackerman, who died Sunday at Northridge Hospital Medical Center, is survived by her husband Neil, 34, their 3-year-old son, Matthew, and newborn daughter, Katelyn Elizabeth.

Preliminary reports from hospital officials are that Ackerman hemorrhaged after delivering her 8-pound, 15-ounce daughter about 2:15 a.m. Sunday and died 4-1/2 hours later. Los Angeles County coroner's medical examiners completed Ackerman's autopsy Thursday, but held off stating a cause of death.

Coroner's spokesman Scott Carrier said forensic pathologists wanted to review Ackerman's medical records to figure out why the woman died, after what family members described as a trouble-free pregnancy and labor. A final determination of Ackerman's cause of death could take weeks.

Meanwhile, relatives asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to a fund to help Ackerman's family. Contributions may be sent to Valencia National Bank, 23620 W. Lyons Ave., Newhall, CA 91321.

Ackerman also is survived by her parents, Robert and Ruth Jasberg of Northridge, three older siblings - Rebecca Mundt of Billings, Mont., Kathryn Cook of Lyons, Ore., and Keith Jasberg of Tucson, Ariz. - and 16 nieces and nephews.

It will be a bittersweet Mother's Day for the Ackermans and the Jasbergs, as they mark the one-week anniversaries of Katelyn's birth and Elizabeth's death.

Gail Ortiz, a spokeswoman for Santa Clarita, said she worked closely with Ackerman, a graphic technician who had been with the city since September 1991. She designed brochures, reports, logos and city publications, and worked with city contractors like printing and silkscreen vendors, who make banners and T-shirts.

Ortiz described Ackerman as a talented, bright and hard-working staffer who also was involved with employee events like bake sales, chili cookoffs, employee trips to baseball games and the annual city picnic.

Fellow city employees have been taking up a collection for the family, Ortiz said. ``We're all helping out, doing what we can. There was just a huge black cloud hanging over City Hall,'' Ortiz added.

Nina Giangreco, Ackerman's supervisor in the graphics division, described her as a ``quick learner'' who was quick to grasp the technical aspects of her job. ``I was really proud of her accomplishments. I've seen her develop over the years as a designer, and I think she had really flourished,'' Giangreco said.

Before Ackerman went on maternity leave, her co-workers threw her a party. ``She was extremely happy when she found out (the baby) was going to be a girl,'' Giangreco said.

``She couldn't decide how to spell Katelyn. It was kind of an internal joke around here,'' Giangreco recalled. ``So the day that we gave her a goodbye party, we put different spellings of the name on our wall, with question marks.'' And they made confetti in the shape of question marks, she said.

``She's definitely going to be missed. I'm really thankful that I had the opportunity to work with her,'' Giangreco added. `I'm going to miss her friendship.''

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Photo: (color) Coroner officials have not yet determined why Elizabeth Ackerman, seen with her 3-year-old son, Matthew, died Sunday after delivering her second child.