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 Benjamin Jay Decker
April 17, 2004
Benjamin Jay Decker, 74, of 222 Buck Island Road, West Yarmouth, formerly of Dalton, died April 17 at home.
Mr. Decker was a longtime teacher, assistant principal and principal at Wahconah Regional High School.
Born in Deland, Fla., on March 23, 1930, son of Elwood and Ruth T. Decker, he grew up in Lebanon Springs, N.Y., and graduated from New Lebanon (N.Y.) Central High School. He received his bachelor's degree in 1956 and his master's degrees in education in 1959 from State University of New York at Brockport.
He also took courses at the former North Adams State Teachers College and Westfield State College. He resided on Hubbard Avenue for many years until moving to Yarmouth in 1996.
He joined the Central Berkshire Regional School District as a member of the history department when Wahconah opened in 1961. He taught government, economics and sociology, and was director of the adult education program. He was named assistant principal in 1974 and principal in 1981.
He also spent a year as assistant principal at Nessacus Regional Middle School, and a brief stint as assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction and evaluation. But he eventually declined that promotion, saying he missed the daily interaction with students and teachers.
Mr. Decker also was the head soccer coach for 11 years, taking his team to three Berkshire County championships, and the basketball coach. He had first taught at both the elementary and high school in the Greece (N.Y.) Central School District.
After retiring in 1990, he spent five years working in human resources at Kolburne School in New Marlboro, and was interim principal at New Lebanon Central High School until 1996.
He was the director of Camp Howe, the 4-H camp in Goshen, for 10 years.
He enjoyed the ocean and fishing.
He and his wife, the former Sandra Rhiner, married in July 1952 in West Lebanon, N.Y.
Besides his wife, he leaves two daughters, Jayne M. Decker of Farmington, Maine, and Julie B. Decker of Carlsbad, Calif.; a son, Mark Decker of the South Pacific; three brothers, Larry Decker of Fall River, Robert Decker of Westfield and David Decker of Rouse Point, N.J.; a sister, June Davis of the state of Florida, and six grandchildren.
FUNERAL NOTICE -- A service in celebration of Jay Decker's life will be held at HALLETT FUNERAL HOME, 273 Station Ave., South Yarmouth, at 11 on Saturday, May 1. Friends and family may gather at the funeral home 30 minutes before the service.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Benjamin Jay Decker Memorial Scholarship Fund, in care of Franklin Savings Bank, P.O. Box 825, Farmington, ME 04938, to award graduating seniors from underfunded high schools in the United States.
This year's award will go to a student from Tallahatchie High School in Webb, Miss. Mr. Decker also is survived by his sons-in-law, Michael Sayward of Farmington, Maine, and Richard Maryn of Carlsbad, Calif., and his cherished grandchildren, Ian, Derek, Graham, Thea, Dancia and Benjamin.
Mr. Decker loved the subjects he taught and his students. As principal, his door was always open for students to come in, talk and have a piece of candy from the jar he kept on his desk. He coached basketball and soccer for many years, and his love for the game included his players.
His passion for teaching and his belief that all children deserve an equal chance for education remained a constant in his life.
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