Helen P. Decker

Helen Pingio Decker, 97, of Baldwinsville, died Wednesday morning, April 1, 2015. Helen was born and raised in Rochester, New York, where her parents, Anastas and Catherine (Vassios) Pingio, settled after emigrating from Greece in the early 1900s. A graduate of SUNY, Oswego, with a degree in English and education, Helen taught in the Glens Falls and Rochester school districts before establishing roots in Baldwinsville with her husband, William Decker of Glens Falls. Helen went on to teach in the Phoenix Central School District for 40 years. Throughout her life in Baldwinsville, Helen was an active member of the Theater Guild, the Parent Teachers Association of Baldwinsville Central Schools where her three children attended, and the First Presbyterian Church where she diligently served as a deacon and member of the choir. Helen will not only be remembered as a wonderful mother to her own three children, but to the many children she touched each day as an educator, outstanding in the field of teaching. She valued every one of her children as meaningful contributors to the world. She will be greatly missed by everyone who knew her. Helen is survived by her three children: Kristine Maxwell of Watervliet, Petersen (Marguerite) Decker of Grosse Pointe, MI, and Mary Katherine (Michael) Kamfonas of Devon, PA; six grandchildren: Katherine Maxwell, Anne (Ryan) Foster, Iain and Petersen Decker Jr., and John and Grace Kamfonas; two great-grandchildren: Gibbons and Charles Foster; two nieces: Katherine (William) Cochrane and Carol (Lawrence) Faragher; two nephews: Paul (Diane) and Charles (Terri) Ziegler.

Services will be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, April 4, at the First Presbyterian Church, 64 Oswego St., Baldwinsville. Burial will be in Riverview Cemetery. Calling hours are 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday prior to the service at the Falardeau Funeral Home, 93 Downer Street.

Contributions, in lieu of flowers, may be sent to a charity of your choice.

Date of Death: April 1, 2015