Vada Decker
Vada Schmidt Decker, 81, of Nevada, Mo., died Oct. 15, 2006, at Research Medical Center, Kansas City, Mo., as the result of a massive stroke.
She was born May 27, 1925, in Fairview, Okla., to Sam C. and Leah (Koehn) Schmidt.
On March 2, 1952, she and Harvey Decker were married by Minister Norman Eicher in Hillsboro. Harvey survives at the home.
Vada lived most of her early childhood years in Oklahoma. She and her family experienced the hardships of the Depression years. At the age of 12, her family moved to Central Kansas. She was converted at the age of 12 and was baptized Jan. 25, 1938, into the Mennonite Church of God in Christ, by the late Minister Frank Wenger. Her supreme desire was to serve the Lord, her Savior. She remained faithful to those vows until her death.
Following their marriage, she and Harvey made their home in Roseburg, Ore., where Harvey served in IN service. When his service was completed, they moved to Rich Hill, Mo., and later to Hillsboro.
In 1991, they returned to Missouri, making their home at Walker. Harvey is thankful to God for giving them 54 years of happy, married life. Sister Vada was of a cheerful disposition, willingly giving herself in service to those around her. She loved her family, children, and grandchildren. She was a lover of nature, especially birds.
She was preceded in death by her parents, four brothers, a sister, and sister-in-law.
She will be greatly missed by her family including her husband, Harvey; two sons, Rodney Decker and his wife Marj, Nevada, Mo., Rick and his wife Kari, Gettysburg, S.D.; three daughters, Beverly Koehn and husband Jeff, and Brenda Decker, Walker, and Mary Decker of the home; nine grandchildren; a great-grandson; a brother Clayton Schmidt and his wife Joan, El Campo, Texas; five sisters, Francis Schmidt, Elizabeth Durant, LaVerna Unruh and husband Chester, Moundridge, Louise Hiesbert and her husband Byron, El Campo, Marlene Becker and husband Minister L. John, Aurora, N.Y.; two sisters-in-law, Lorene Schmidt, De Ridder, La., and Beatrice Riggs, Hesston; a host of relatives and friends.
Also dear to her were Mary Enns and her two children, Jeff and Jessica, whom she accepted as family.
Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Living Faith Mennonite Church, Walker, with Herbert Leatherman, Ron Koehn, and Robert Smith officiating. Interment followed in the Living Faith Mennonite Cemetery.
— paid obituary
