Glennard C. Decker, Jr. of South Dennis, MA, passed away peacefully on July 15, 2020, one day before his 95th birthday.

He was the husband of the late Dorothy C. (Fitzpatrick) Decker, who died in 2009. She was the love of his life and they married in 1950. They raised their family in Great Kills, Staten Island.

Born in New York NY, Glenn was the son of the late Glennard C. and Martha (Pearce) Decker. He was raised with his sister, Betty and his brother, Warren, in Tottenville, Staten Island, NY. His father was a naval architect; his paternal grandfather was a doctor/pharmacist and his maternal grandfather was a tugboat captain.

Glenn served in the U.S. Navy during World War II as a torpedo-bomber pilot, but a severe injury left him stateside. He kept his pilot’s license active until the 1970’s and had an encyclopedic knowledge of ships, planes and history.

Glenn worked for the Department of Motor Vehicles for the state of New York before retiring and moving to Cape Cod in 1971.

Glenn and Dorothy loved their South Dennis home, especially their swimming pool, and Glenn became a postal clerk and then postmaster for South Dennis. After retiring again, Glenn spent quite a bit of time doing commercial fishing, and he and Dotty enjoyed traveling around the country in their motor home. They eventually became ‘snowbirds’, spending many winters in New Smyrna Beach, FL, before finally staying on the Cape year-round.

They both loved to sing and perform, entertaining friends and family with outrageous jokes and costumed renditions of That Old Black Magic. Glenn was a master storyteller with a sharp wit and incredible intellect, and was very active in the Masons and the Shriners, as well as the church choir, where he shared his clear tenor voice.

After Dorothy died, Glenn eventually found new joy in food, friends, family, and watching the birds and squirrels from his back porch. He was an avid reader, making countless trips to the South Dennis Free Public Library, and had a remarkable memory for prose up until the weeks before he died. He was aided by Debra Tripp, who became his best friend.

Glenn is survived by his three children: Paul Decker and his wife, Gloria, Rita Decker, and Dr. John Decker and his wife, Noriko; a granddaughter, Dr. Francesca Decker and her husband, Dr. Jarred Johnson; he also was thrilled, last year, to meet his great-granddaughter, Zelda Decker-Johnson.

Glenn will join his wife in the Massachusetts National Cemetery located in Bourne.

A memorial service will be planned by the family in the fall.

As an expression of sympathy, memorial donations may be made to Shriner’s Hospital for Children, 51 Blossom St., Boston, MA 02114. www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org.  

Glen was one of the first patrons I met when I started working at the South Dennis Library, and over the next sixteen years, just seeing him walk into the library made my day. I loved picking out books and delivering them when he couldn't come in person, and i loved him. Seeing him always made me believe that the good folks in the end outnumber the other kind. I'm glad we were able to stay in touch after I had to leave the library to care for my husband, and I will always remember him with pleasure.