Fortified with the Sacraments of the Holy Mother Church, and surrounded by the love of his family, Bud went to be with our Lord Jesus Christ on August 17, 2020 at the age of 89.
Bud is the beloved Husband of Margaret Mary “Peggy” Decker (nee Schien). Dear father of Michael (Debbie), James (Kathy), Karen (Roland) Lettner, and Margaret. Cherished grandfather of Tom(Alexis), Jim, Margaret “Peggy”, Joe, Erika, and Katarina.
Bud was born in St. Louis, Missouri to Edwin Denver Decker and Esther E Decker (nee Bodeman), the older of 2 siblings. Preceded in death by his dear wife Peggy and his sister Mary. Survived by his children and grandchildren, as well as many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
In 1951 Bud married his teenage sweetheart Peggy. Bud and Peggy settled in St. Dismas Parish in Florissant, MO. Peggy and Bud worked at McDonnell Aircraft Company. When their children were born Peggy devoted her time to family and church, while Bud completed 30+ years at “Mac” as he always called McDonnell-Douglas (later Boeing) while also participating in many St. Dismas Church activities such as being on the parish council and serving as the quartermaster of Boy Scout Troop 713.
Bud was nearly 90 when he passed and always spoke fondly of his time at “Mac” and his time in the U.S. Air Force. Too young for WWII, he enlisted in the USAF as soon as he turned 17 and served as a military policeman (MP) in Wyoming and in Germany 1948-49 during the Berlin Airlift. He then changed specialties to be a B-29 mechanic, serving in Alaska and later in Puerto Rico where Peggy was able to join him. He went to college on the GI Bill and worked as an engineer for McDonnell-Douglas, mainly working on fighter/attack jets his whole career.
Heyward went by “Bud” because he never cared for “Heyward.” Family lore states that back in the day when fathers didn’t go into the delivery room his father was in the lobby reading “Last of the Mohicans,” a book where British Major Heyward is a bad guy up until the end. His father got to the end where Major Heyward became the hero right when a nurse with a “Kendal” name tag came out and said “it’s a boy, what name do you want on the birth certificate? “ His father said “Heyward Kendal Decker,” and when his mother found out she was reportedly surprised.
Services at KUTIS AFFTON CHAPEL 10151 Gravois on Monday, August 24 at 11:30 Interment with military honors at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. (cemetery limits attendance to 50)
Visitation at KUTIS AFFTON CHAPEL, Sunday , August 23 from 4-7 pm
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Alzheimer’s Association alz.org appreciated.
Covid-19 guidelines limit is 50 people in Decker parlor/chapel at any one time. Please practice social distancing and masks are required.
He was a great Dad and a true patriot. It must have been rough to be a young man in high school during WWII and be told you had to wait a few years to join the military, but once he did Dad loved his time with USAF. He has already arranged for his tomb stone from VA say “A1C USAF Berlin Airlift.” He had many stories about being in the post-war devastation of Germany and on alert with Strategic Air Command (SAC) during the cold war. One of his favorite stories was that when Curtis LeMay was SAC commander, he had all aircrew and flight line personnel armed in case of attack even in the US and he had a lot of no notice drills on how fast all aircraft could get off the ground. The mechanics all had to sling an M-1 carbine on their backs, which was always in the mech’s way in tight spaces so the mech’s left them all over the place. During one no notice drill my Dad grabbed the wheel chocks and toolboxes and ran out in front of the aircraft with the rest of the mech’s while the ground guide signaled the plane to pull forward. My Dad looked down and saw his M-1 stuck in the front wheel assembly, with the wooden butt being driven into the tarmac by the plane trying to pull forward. All stop and the mech’s all run forward to extract the rifle. A couple months later they go to the rifle range and Dad lines up on a target, but the target three over to the right goes up and down. Does it again with same result. Dad loved to talk about fact that all of the early USAF SNCO’s were Army WWII vets and tough guys. Several range instructors came over and made Dad try again, watching his form/stance etc, but same result. Then the instructors each tried the rifle with the same result of a target three to right going up and down. The rifle looks OK, but they ask him if knows anything about it and he says “that’s the way it came from the armory.” The A1C motto “I have no idea how that happened.”
Semper fi, Mike
I sat next to him once at dinner at the Decker house. I thoroughly enjoyed my conversation with him and hearing his stories as my Dad was an aircraft mechanic in WWII on the B17 and B24 and then became an engineer.