Peter Decker Jr.

Surrounded by his loving family, Peter George Decker Jr. of Norfolk and of Bal Harbour, Fla. , beloved husband, father and friend to so many in the Tidewater area, passed away on February 3, 2012 after a valiant struggle against cancer, at the age of 76.
A native and cheerleader of Norfolk and a faithful Roman Catholic, he was the son of the late Peter George Decker Sr. and Rose M. Decker, both of Norfolk.
A graduate of Maury High School, Decker served two years in the U.S. Army and graduated from the Norfolk Division of the College of William and Mary (Old Dominion University). In 1960, he graduated from the Marshall Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary and entered private practice as an attorney in Norfolk.
He founded the highly successful law firm of Decker, Cardon, Thomas, Weintraub and Neskis, which will continue after his death. In 1995, he entrusted his Law Firm to his partners and stepped back from the daily practice of law when he became a Substitute General District Court Judge, serving all of the cities of Southeast Virginia.
Decker served on countless boards and charitable foundations. He was instrumental in the redevelopment of downtown Norfolk. Decker helped found the Business Improvement District, was chairman of the Nauticus board and a member of the Downtown Norfolk Council board.
Former chairman of the Norfolk Airport Authority, he was a member of the Norfolk State University Board of Visitors, as well as the TowneBank Norfolk Board, Heritage Bank and Trust Advisory Board, the Greater Norfolk Corporation and the Eastern Virginia Medical School Health Services Board.
For more than 40 years, he was a member of the board of governors and directors of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. For 50 years he has led local fundraising efforts for St. Jude, raising tens of millions of dollars to benefit research into childhood cancer. He often performed onstage with actor and singer Danny Thomas to raise money for St. Jude and he recorded many albums with the Pat Curtis Orchestra, sold to benefit the hospital. Each spring, Decker sponsored a field trip to Nauticus to reward Norfolk elementary students who excelled in school. Each summer he sang with the Tidewater Winds symphony orchestra at the Harrison Opera House to raise funds for aspiring student musicians.
In the early 1980s, he formed the Sons & Daughters of Lebanon in honor of his father's heritage. He served on the Board of Trustees of the International College of Beirut, Lebanon.
For 11 ½ years, he served on the Virginia State Board of Corrections and served seven years as chairman. He later chaired the State Board of Education. He was appointed to these Boards by 4 different Governors.
Decker received numerous area honors, including the Presidential Award presented by the Norfolk Jaycees in 1988. In 1994, ODU presented him with its highest award, the University Medal, and he was also honored by the National Conference of Christians and Jews. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus in Ocean View and for many years served as the emcee for their annual parade. He also served as the first emcee for both Va. Beach's Neptune Festival and Norfolk's Harborfest. In 1984, along with several close friends from the Norfolk Police Department, Decker founded the Law and Disorderly Club, which benefits local children's charities.
In 1996, he was the first to receive the L.D. Britt Community Service Award and in 1997, he received the Martin Luther King Leadership Award from the NAACP. The Urban League of Hampton Roads honored him with the Vivian C. Mason Award and the Norfolk Sertoma Club presented him with the Service to Mankind Award, both in 1998.
Decker was named Norfolk's First Citizen by the Cosmopolitan Club in 1999. Two years later, he received the Volunteer Hampton Roads Lenora Mathews Lifetime Achievement Award. He and his wife Bess created the "Mermaids on Parade" campaign which raised money for the local arts community.
In 2005, the Hampton Roads Crime Lines presented him with a lifetime achievement award. Last year, the Downtown Norfolk Corporation honored him with a lifetime achievement award. He was also inducted into the Hampton Roads Business Hall of Fame.
Decker is survived by his wife of 49 years, Bess Kolantis Decker, of Norfolk, who cared for him throughout his battle against cancer; and three sons, Peter G. Decker III and wife Dana Jo; Paul A. Decker and wife Dana and Phillip A. Decker and wife Shannon and seven grandchildren whom he adored: Alexia, Paulina, Zoe, Peter IV, Paul Jr, Fentress and Max.
He is survived by brothers George P. Decker and Joseph M. Decker and sister Catherine L. John, all of Norfolk; and an aunt, Anne Decker of Wilkes-Barre, Pa. He was predeceased by his brother, Phillip Decker and sisters Mary Anne Zoby and Doris Cory. He is also survived by sisters in law Helen Savalas, Ann Kolantis and Chris Joannou and her husband, Johnny, and a host of nieces and nephews.
Pete's life will be celebrated with family and friends on Monday, February 6, 2012 at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott Hotel, from 2:30 until 4:30 pm. Father Joseph Metzger of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church will conduct a Mass for the immediate family. The family would like to sincerely thank the DePaul Bon Secours Medical Center and its entire staff, as well as Michelle Jones.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital , 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN. 38105.
Pete Decker was a Norfolk boy who rose up from humble beginnings and lived an amazing life. He never forgot where he came from, and he never met a stranger. He always endeavored to help those in need, and we often heard him say: "Family isn't everything - it's the ONLY thing!" We will all miss our favorite "Uncle" Pete, but he will live in our hearts forever.
H.D. Oliver Funeral Apts., Norfolk chapel is handling arrangements.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at hdoliver.com