Decker, John W. 1857-1931

DECKER, FOLEY, CLEARWATER, BELL

Posted By: Marilyn Holmes (email)
Date: 11/12/2011 at 09:37:12

The Grinnell (IA) Herald; Aug. 18, 1931

JOHN W. DECKER FUNERAL TODAY

Funeral services for John W. Decker who passed away at the I.O.O.F. home in Mason City, are being held this afternoon starting at 2:30 o'clock at the Sheridan cemetery, conducted by the Odd Fellows lodge of Grinnell.

John W. Decker, 74 years of age died at the I.O.O.F. home in Mason City after a long illness. He was born in Brooklyn, Iowa, in 1857, and resided in that neighborhood until 1903, when he moved to Rolla, Mo. In 1913 he came back to Iowa where he remained at Cedar Rapids until he went to the I.O.O.F. home last October. Mr. Decker had been a member of the Odd Fellows lodge at Grinnell for forty-four years.

He was married in 1881 to Eliza Foley, who preceded him in death in 1919. To this union were born two daughters, Mrs. Pearl Clearwater of Chicago, and Mrs. Goldie Bell of Cedar Rapids, both of whom survive. He is also survived by seven grandchildren and one great grandchild.
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The Grinnell Herald; Aug. 25, 1931

JOHN DECKER WAS A RACEHORSE MAN

Several Grinnellians remember John Decker, member of the I.O.O.F. lodge here for 44 years who passed away at Mason City recently. Mr. Decker was an old race horse man and he formerly conducted a farm on an eighty acre tract of land where the Sheridan store now stands.

He was interested with Jeff Manatt, Frank and Aldace Child in race horses and the story is told of the time when he purchased a horse in Des Moines for $60, shipped it to Kentucky and collected $3,800 for it. The horse netted its owner a large amount as it won a number of races.

Mr. Decker was an enthusiastic horse man and at one time kept a large string of horses at the local fair grounds.

Funeral services were held Tuesday afternoon at the Sheridan cemetery conducted by the Odd Fellows. Pallbearers were John Jantzen, C.P. Kimball, F.A. Beck, Dan Doud, W.E. Brown and Joe Rollins.
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Aug. 25, 1931 by W.G. Ray

It somewhat ruffles the feelings of an old timer to see a story of another old timer who has passed to the great beyond written in such a way that many interesting points of his life have been omitted. We refer just now to the death of John Decker whose obituary notice appeared in a recent Herald. The story said that he lived in Brooklyn and left out an account of his residence in Sheridan. He lived in Sheridan ten or fifteen years and during that period Mrs. Decker was postmistress of that country point. Her home was the scene of Republican activities in the nineties and at her table have sat and eaten a good many speakers and Grinnell friends who went to Sheridan to hold a Republican meeting and give a Republican speech.

Major Lacey is one of the notables who has eaten at her table and the soundness of the Republican politics of Mr. and Mrs. Decker was never questioned. He was something of a horse racer and after his wife's death he lived at the Odd Fellows home at Mason City.