Bradford Langston Decker

1957 - 2017

EASTON - Bradford Langston Decker, 59, of Easton, Md., died on Thursday, March 30, 2017 at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Easton. Brad was born at home in Philadelphia, Pa., on June 18, 1957, son of the late Philip Langston Decker and Marilyn Bauman Decker.
A graduate of Country School and Easton High School class of 1975, Brad played varsity football and ran track and field for the school, where he competed in state championships in the 440. Brad initially began college at the University of Richmond, where he enjoyed life as a "Spider" and then transferred to the University of Maryland. A graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, with a degree in horticulture, Brad returned to the Eastern Shore to enjoy his two passions, sailing and landscape design and the conception of Windy Hill Landscape and Design Inc.
Introduced to sailing at an early age, the Decker family spent weekends at Wharton Creek with their boat Morning Star. At the age of 12, his family moved to Oxford from Haddonfield, N.J., and his lifelong dedication to Skylark began. Brad grew up on the beautiful Mercer 44, and she was part of his DNA. In 1972, at the age of 15, he experienced his first ocean race, sailing on Skylark with his father from Newport to Bermuda. The race encountered a myriad of events, including the center board being knocked off its pin by a whale and being demasted at sea by Hurricane Agnes, resulting in an entire summer in Bermuda at Burt Darrell's boatyard with his family waiting for the new mast to arrive from Cape Code Ship Builders. This was only the beginning of his sailing adventures that spanned five decades, including his final Annapolis Bermuda race in June 2016. Every race had a story, losing a pinky, being rammed and nearly losing his friend Price overboard, screaming down the Bay in the Governor's Cup. He enjoyed the Caribbean and many bareboat charters and the delivery of boats with his friend Juliane Putley of Tortola. He shared this love with his wife Annie and his son Philip on numerous Caribbean sailing adventures.
Brad's other greatest gift was his beautiful eye for design that translated into magnificent gardens all over Talbot county. He knew which native varieties would always do well in the local soil, and each garden was a present waiting to be opened by the eye as the buds sequentially opened into a season of color and beauty for all to enjoy.
Among the many things Brad enjoyed, one of them was music. His special love was for bluegrass music, which he shared with his wife. Any opportunity he had, Brad would rush off to see the Seldom Scene at the Birchmere or the Avalon. Brad truly loved life and every day was an adventure.
He is survived by his devoted wife, Annie Decker of Easton; his loving son, Philip Decker; stepdaughter, Julia Jesu; stepson, Stephen Jesu; his dear sister, Holly Decker of Portland, Ore.; and a multitude of family, friends and litters of Labrador retrievers all over Talbot County. The smell of fiberglass, diesel and rum will forever be etched into our hearts. He was best friend to all.
A Celebration of Life will be held for Brad on Tuesday, May 23, beginning at 11 a.m. at the Tred Avon Yacht Club (TAYC), 100 West Strand, Oxford, MD 21654.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the TAYC Jr. Sailing, P.O. Box 337, Oxford, MD 21654, so that all young people learn to love sailing as Brad did and the Oxford Volunteer Fire Department in gratitude for saving Skylark from her fire.
For online tributes, please visit www.fhnfuneralhome.com.



This obituary was originally published in The Star Democrat.