Gilford-----David Richard Decker died peacefully at the age of 79 on January 11, 2017. He was born on February 1, 1937, in Chicago, Illinois, the oldest of three children of Elmer John Decker, Jr. and Beatrice (Doerr) Decker. At age eight, David and his mother and two younger brothers moved from Chicago to Methuen, Massachusetts, and lived there for six years and then moved to Salem, New Hampshire, where David attended Woodbury High School and then went on to the University of New Hampshire and Boston College law school.
Mr. Decker was admitted to the New Hampshire bar in 1963. He practiced law in Laconia until 1990. After he resigned from the bar, he worked as a paralegal for 23 years at the Boyle law office in Plymouth. Dave was active for years in local politics as the chairman of the Laconia Republican committee, the attorney for the city of Laconia, the Belknap County attorney, and the moderator for the Gilford School district.In his younger adult years, Dave was a member of the Laconia Junior Chamber of Commerce, the Laconia Lions Club, and the Laconia Elks Club. He was a member of the Congregational Church of Laconia and served as the scoutmaster of their boy scout troop, Troop 143, for seventeen years. He was a member of their parish activities committee. Dave was their general chairman for 10 years and loved organizing the Hazel Duke Thanksgiving dinner, which provided a holiday feast for the members of the community.
Dave had a heart to help and serve others. Some of his proudest accomplishments include helping a neighbor to become an American citizen, guiding over a dozen boys to become Eagle Scouts, and teaching others about American history. For the past several years, Mr. Decker, a Civil War expert, gave more than 50 speeches all over New England on various topics, including his favorite topic, Civil War General George Thomas.
He was predeceased by two wives, Gloria (Ladd) Decker,and by Susan (Norz) Decker; his mother, Beatrice (Doerr) Brown; his step-father, Harry Dunlap Brown, Jr.; his father, Elmer John Decker, Jr.; his step-mother, Norma; his half-brother, Harry Dunlap Brown III; his sister, Linda Brown Collupy; and his brother, Marshall Decker.
He will be greatly missed by his brother, Steve Decker, and his wife Donna of Windham; three children, Kimberly (Decker) Knight and her husband Alexander of Billerica, Mass.; Douglas Decker and his wife, Jennifer, of Rochester; Keith Decker and his wife, Denise (Proulx) Decker, of Manchester; by three step-daughters, Tammy (MacQuarrie) Emond and her husband David of Gilford; Donna (MacQuarrie) Abrams and her husband Ross of Deadwood, South Dakota; Brenda (MacQuarrie) Anderson and her husband Vince of Reno, Nevada; by three step-children,Gilbert Pidgeon of Gilford; Donald Pidgeon of Dover; and Danielle (Pidgeon) LaFond and her husband, Brandon, of Gilford; by six grandchildren, and eleven step-grandchildren.
Dave's family would like to thank Care and Comfort Nursing of Gilford and the staff at Lakes Region General Hospital for their compassionate care.
Calling hours will be from 1:00 pm to 3:00pm on Sunday, January 15, 2017 at the Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia, NH, using the Carriage House entrance.
A celebration of his life will be held at the Congregational Church of Laconia, 69 Pleasant Street, Laconia NH on Monday, January 16, 2017 at 11:00 am.
The burial will be private.
For those who wish, memorial contributions may be made to the New Hampshire Civil War Round Table at P.O. Box 887, Epping, N.H., 03042.
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia NH is assisting the family with the arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial go to www.wilkinsonbeane.com.