Obituary of Rodney B. Decker

DeLANCEY Rodney Decker, of DeLancey, left us unexpectedly on Friday, July 25th at his home in the presence of his loving partner and companion, Maggie. He is survived by Margaret (Maggie) Rowell-Reinmann, his devoted loving companion and partner of 20 years; her sons Phillip All, his wife Nikki and son Ethan of Gastonia, North Carolina and Matthew All of DeLancey and his son Orion. He is also survived by daughters Debra Ward, her husband Evan, of Quaker Hill, Connecticut and their children Rheanna and Tegan; Erika Mack, her husband Noel, of Odgen, Utah and their children Alex, Hyrum, Troi-Ann, Parker and Sariah; sons Joseph Decker, of Delhi New York and his son Caleb Decker; Daniel Decker of Delhi, New York; Brian Decker, his wife Trevva, of Cleveland Heights, Ohio and grandchildren Tyree, Kiva, Trinity and Tia; his brother Robert Decker of Johnson City, New York and his wife Diane; his sister Lois (Sue) Ford of Oneonta, New York; step-sister Donna Torma, her companion Don McKee, Donna's daughter Karen and her children as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Rodney was born August 10, 1935 in a house in Hamden, New York to Robert L. Decker and Frances Marietta (Cobbe) Decker. He was predeceased by his parents, sister Grace and brother Ronald. In 1949, at the age of 14 he was afflicted with polio and was in Albany Hospital on an iron lung for a month. But he got better and was playing football by the next school year. A graduate of Delaware Academy in 1954, he was involved in several school activities and sports programs including the drama club, football, basketball, wrestling, FFA, and as percussionist in the band. Rodney was the blonde bass drum player seen in the bandstand on the Square in the July 7, 1951 Saturday Evening Post cover. He served his country in the Army in the 142nd Armed Signal Battalion, 2nd Armored Division, Germany. After leaving the Army, Rodney was a District Agent for the Prudential Insurance Company for seven years. From 1966 to 1993, he was Founder and President of R.B. Decker Advertising, Inc. who published The County Shopper, the areas weekly advertising publication, and the Catskill Country, a semi-annual regional tourism publication. In "retirement", Rodney was President of People First, a business consulting company focusing on his specialty of customer service, team building and sales. In 1998 he also began working as a Staff Assistant for Assemblyman Cliff Crouch. A special friendship developed with Cliff with whom he served as Legislative Aide until the day he died. Rod, Poppy, Dad loved his community and gave freely of his time to make it a wonderful place to live. He had a positive outlook on life and saw goodness in every person he met. He attributed his positive attitude to his mother, whom he adored. His love for life was seen and heard through his ability to talk to anyone about anything everywhere he went. He was a master at storytelling, especially if he could wrap it into a joke! As such, he was often invited to serve as an MC for events. And he had the unique ability to make anyone he talked to come away feeling better about themselves. His hobbies included visiting his children and grandchildren, having coffee and talking with people, skiing, having coffee and talking with people, golf, having coffee and talking with people, travel and having coffee and talking with people. He also enjoyed playing card and board games. His favorite snacks were popcorn, a scoop of peanut butter and oatmeal-raisin cookies. He was a dedicated fan of the Dallas Cowboys and UConn basketball. Rodney's professional memberships included Toastmasters International, National Speakers Association and New England Speakers Association. He was an active leader in each organization and received several awards and recognitions over the years. His community service was vast and includes Town of Delhi Councilman (5 years), Office for the Aging, Board of Directors, SUNY Delhi College Foundation Board of Trustees (27 years), Delhi Village Trustee/Deputy Mayor (4 years), one term as Vice President of the Delaware Chamber of Commerce and two terms as its President. He was Chair of the Delhi Village Planning Board and a Consultant for the Executive Service Corps of Otsego/Delaware counties. He was actively involved in the planning for Delhi's Sesquicentennial celebration and he was one of the original planners for what became known as Friday's Fair on the Square. The family was touched when they heard that at the final event of this year, the day he died, that a moment of silence was given in honor of their father, their brother, their friend. Among the many honorary awards and recognitions Rodney received over the years, he was also awarded the Delhi Chamber of Commerce "Special Citizen Award for Serving the Community Above Expectation" in 1992. In that same year he was given the DeWitt Clinton Masonic Award for Community Service. Examples of the level of commitment to his community. Calling hours will be Thursday, July 31st from 5 to 7pm at the MacArthur Funeral Home, Delhi. A Service that will celebrate his life will be held Friday, August 1st, at 11am at the United Ministry Church in Delhi. Rod, Dad, Poppy will be missed. Because of the commitment our father, our brother our friend had to the community and each person he knew, the family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in his name to his latest endeavor, The ARC of Delaware County, 34570 State Highway 10, Walton, New York 13856. Those who wish to share condolences or a special memory may do so on-line at www.macarthurfh.com. Arrangements are with the MacArthur Funeral Home, Delhi, NY.