This past Saturday my family and I drove from Austin to
Lubbock for my husband’s paternal grandfather’s funeral.
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Jerry and Henrietta Decker
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Now, what I personally knew of Grandpa Decker is that he
gave big, strong bear hugs every single time I saw him, and that he had a kind
smile on his face when he would watch my children – his great-grandchildren –
run around and play. What I knew of him
from my husband, is that he was a hard-working man who found the time and
energy to play with my husband and his siblings when they would come and visit
him as children, even after a long day of farming.
This hard work I mentioned – Grandpa Decker farmed
cotton. It was undeniably hard work and
he had a work ethic that has been inherited by his children and his grandchildren. I’ve always said that one of the first traits
I was attracted to upon meeting my husband was his drive. My husband is still the most hard-working man
I know, but more than that – he is grateful for his work. He will regularly work overtime to provide
for our family, and he never complains.
The only thing you’ll ever hear him say about his overtime is that he is
grateful to God for the opportunity to provide for his family. This tenacity and willingness to work can be
seen in my husband and his siblings, who first saw it in their parents, who
first saw it in their parents. I pray to reflect that onto our children now as
well.
Grandma and Grandpa Decker were married 57 years at the time
of his death and she lives in the same house they moved into when the youngest
of their six children was in the third grade.
We went to the house after the funeral reception – my children jumped on
the very same trampoline that my father-in-law (the eldest of the Decker six)
jumped on when HE was a child! I watched them as I sat on the back porch and
said a prayer of gratitude for these roots my children are so blessed to have.
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| Grandma Decker and her six children, at Grandpa's funeral reception |
There were several difficult moments during this past
weekend, of course. It was heartbreaking to see the pain and tears of Grandpa’s
children and his grand-children as they mourned his death. Even one of my children cried at his viewing –
death is never easy to acknowledge and yet here we all were, saying goodbye to
this man who was dearly loved and will be sorely missed.
There was something more though, and something bigger than
the difficult moments. There were
moments of peace. The kind priest who
led us in the rosary the night before the funeral reminded us of who Grandpa
Decker was – yes, he was a husband, a father, a grandfather, a
great-grandfather. Yes, he was a farmer.
The priest reminded us, however, that first he was a baptized member of
the Body of Christ – and now would be joined with Him in Heaven. HOME.
He is home. He reminded us of our own mortality and that this world we
are living in is temporary. What Grandpa
Decker has now is eternal. What he has
now is what we all long for at the end of our lives – true rest in peace. Our
faith in this promise makes us unafraid.
Though it is sad that we no longer have Grandpa Decker with
us on this Earth, it is comforting to know where he is now, and that we have
the intercession of his prayers on our behalf.
We have the memories of his life, and the legacy he left behind, and
those gifts are immeasurable. What a
blessing Grandpa Decker was, and still is, even in his death.
Until next time . . .
Really enjoyed reading your post on Jerry Decker and his family. He was well liked by his In-laws also.
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