Robert "Bob" Young Decker

HURST -- Robert "Bob" Young Decker passed away peaceably in his sleep at home Tuesday, November 19, 2013. A Memorial Service will be held at 10 am, Saturday, November 30, 2013 At St. Vincent Cathedral in Bedford.
Robert was born to Fred and Georgia Young Decker of Wichita Falls, Tx. on January 26, 1914. He graduated High School in 1933 and after working all summer in a dairy, he was a "walk on" at Centenary College in Shreveport, La. He went to Centenary from 1933 through 1937 where he played football, basketball and baseball. On November 1, 2013, he was inducted into the Centenary Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1938 he was drafted into the Army and was doing KP when the news came about the Japanese Bombing Pearl Harbor. He was assigned to the Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland and obtained the rank of Sargent within 60 days. His Commanding Officer persuaded him to join the OCS group down in Miami Beach where he excelled in all his training and graduated as an Air Force Officer. Shortly afterward he was put in charge of the same group he had trained with and eventually was charged with the Security Squadron of the Officer's Candidate School. He trained and graduated 6,000 officers for the Air Force. Many of which wrote letters thanking him for the excellent training and outlined what they were doing in their new jobs in 1942-43.
In 1948 while stationed at Lackland Air Force Base, he met and married Marjorie Tobias Decker who accompanied him to his new assignment in Germany. His orders said "Berlin" but when he got to Rhein Mein Air Force Base in Frankfort, Germany, they changed his orders and he remained in Frankfort for the rest of his tour. There he and Marjorie adopted a little girl and named her Lisa Anne.
In 1951, he served as Provost Marshall on their ship which took them to their new assignment at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. where he was assigned as Executive Officer t o the Base Administrative Officer. At that time the Army was meeting all the dignitaries and administering the funerals and parades for all the services, Army, Navy and Air Force. Bob asked "When does the Air Force get a turn? " The reply was: "The Army always does it." Bob pushed: "but we have the most personnel here and the biggest budget." Eventually they said: "OK" Result: with his training and conducting, the Air Force shined and got their turn. Robert was fortunate to walk beside President Eisenhower in two inaugural parades (1951 and 1957). He also accompanied President Eisenhower and Moroccan King Mohammed V on the monarch's arrival at Washington National Airport, as well as that of President Dinh Diem of Viet Nam and later President Nixon and King Saud, of Arabia. He was in charge of arranging funeral processions and other various arrangements for dignitaries in Washington, such as the funeral of former Secretary of State John Foster Dulles. He remained in Washington, D.C. and had other jobs simultaneous with the above mentioned such as sitting on promotion boards and Court Martials. There he was promoted to Lt. Col and after nine year in Washington (a record for an officer) he was reassigned to Japan where he was in charge of "Housing." It was the main mission of the group at that time to provide housing for the airmen and their families. While there, he managed to trade one group of housing for another plot on which was built more and larger houses. This was helpful to families being stationed there. After 4 years in Japan, he was reassigned again this time to Suffolk County Air Force Base at Westhampton Beach Long Island, N.Y. From there he was retired from the Air Force after honorably serving 28 years.
He returned to Texas and has kept busy helping people with many odd jobs and was able to enjoy retirement with his family.
He beloved by his surviving wife, Alveta Jordan Decker, daughter, Lisa Ann Decker Vaughn, and husband, Allen, Granddaughters, Jennifer Beaudoin and husband Chris and Sarah Vaughn Cotton, Grandson, Dasan Bevil, and wife Becky; Step sons, Jerry Alena and Todd Alena, great grandchildren, Christina Henderson, Mikaila Bevil and Noah Bevil, John Beaudoin , Lyla Rose Cotton; step grandson Jordan Alena and step granddaughters Jillian Alena and Katherine Alena.
Memorials may be made to St.Vincent's Cathedral and Community Hospice.