October 2, 1943 – January 2, 2025
Obituary
It is with great sadness that the family of John Edward Decker announce his passing on Thursday, January 2, 2025 at the age of 81.
John will forever be remembered by his loving wife, Mary Ann, of 40 years; his children, who still called him “Dada”, Kimberly (Darryn) Jason; his grandchildren, who called him “Papa”, JR (Erica), Chase (Zoe), Michael (Brianna), Matthew, Ryan, Zayne, & Kahryn; his great grandchildren, who also called him “Papa”, Noah, Bella, Landry, Stoney, Lane, Allie, Kimber, Laney & Cooper; his sister, Sharlette (Bill), who called him Johnny; and numerous other family members and friends who called him John or JD. Regardless of what each person called him by name, he was a Rock Star to us all!
John was born on October 2, 1943 in Houston, TX and moved to Nacogdoches in 1972. He was a self-made man and JD’s Paint & Body Shop started out as a hope and a dream in the seventies and became a thriving place of business for decades, until John retired. His employees became family and many customers became lifelong friends. John never missed a chance to support his community all the way from fundraising to painting a fire truck for the Nacogdoches Fire Department.
He loved NASCAR and the Houston Astros, but his greatest passion was boat racing. John was on the Drag Boat Racing Association circuit for many years, earning numerous trophies and awards along the way. He was the first man to go over 200 MPH in a drag boat as well as setting a world record! But, what made John Decker such a great man was the way he had of making you feel special, like no one else ever had before or ever would after. RIP John Decker, you will be missed.
Visitation will be held from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, with the funeral being held at 2:00 PM on Thursday, January 9, 2025 at Cason Monk-Metcalf Funeral Directors. Burial will be in the Douglass Cemetery, Douglass, Texas.
Please help the family create a lasting memorial for John Decker by contributing to his headstone. Donations can be made with Venmo @John-Decker-Memorial.
Cason Monk-Metcalf Funeral Directors are in charge of arrangements.