Thomas Decker

THOMAS MARVIN DECKER, 71, passed away peacefully at his sister’s home on October 29th after a long battle with cancer. Tommy was born February 25, 1951 in Louisville to Exodus and Mary Decker. He is survived by his two children, Joey (Sandra) of Louisville, and Kayla, of San Diego, CA, and Kayla’s mother, Delilah Hodges. Tommy is also survived by his father, brothers Ron and Rick (Lori), and sisters Joan DeVault, Karen Gatti (Dave) and Sharon Sweitzer (Stan) along with many nieces and nephews who have shared loving memories of spending summers at the lake with Tommy and the life lessons he taught them, including, according to his niece, Ashley, how to play poker and that “raising the ante from a dime to a quarter didn’t mean you had the best hand.” He is also survived by two incredible friends, Tommy and Lee Workman, whose home became a sanctuary for him. Special thanks go to his sister, Joan, who took over responsibility for Tommy’s medical care and got him to his many treatments and appointments. Her love for him was unconditional. The family also wants to acknowledge his daughter-in-law, Sandra, who moved him into her home when he became too ill to live alone. She is an angel in disguise. Tommy’s family is grateful to Dr. Vijay Raghavan and the wonderful nurses and staff at Brown Cancer Center. Their compassion will not be forgotten. Tommy had a great sense of humor and a wonderful laugh. His sense of humor was evident all the way to the end, as was his strength as he held on long enough to die at home with family, just like he wanted. Tommy was cremated. A memorial service will be held at Advantage Funeral Home Hardy Chapel on Friday at 1:00pm to reminisce about his life, with burial of his cremains at Bethany Memorial Cemetery, where he will be laid to rest beside his mother. A visitation will be Friday from 11 until service time at the funeral home

In lieu of flowers, plant something beautiful in your yard that will remind you of Tommy when it blooms next Spring. He would appreciate that.