Melba Jean Decker

Melba Jean Decker , nee Mann , 95, of Carbondale, IL, formerly of Robinson and Flora, IL, died on August 21, 2023, at Manor Court of Carbondale.

Mrs. Decker was born December 23, 1927, in the Flora home of Charles A. and Opal E. ( Shroyer ) Mann, both of whom preceded her in death. James E. Mann, her only sibling, also predeceased her, as did her son, David N. Decker, on August 16, 2023.

Jean Mann worked at the Index, a store similar to today's Walmart after school and was graduated from Stanford Harter Township High School, Flora, in 1945, at which time she became an office employee of the Brown Shoe Company in Flora.

Miss Melba Jean Mann was married to Darrell Neil Decker on March 16, 1946, by the Rev. I.E. Vanwey, in his home. Neil attended his first two years of high school in Clay City and his last two years at Stanford Harter Township High School. The wedding reception followed in the bride's home. Her new husband, newly returned from the European Theater of War, was on a 90-day leave prior to shipping out to the Philippines (WWII). Interestingly, Mrs. Decker's mother and her new mother-in-law, L. Beatrice ( Warren ) Decker-Powell, worked side-by-side at the Brown Shoe Company factory during the Great Depression, sharing stories about and snapshots of their children, never dreaming they'd grow up to marry.

After Mr. Decker was discharged from the Army on January 19, 1947, Mrs. Decker became a traditional housewife, as the couple made their home in Flora, one block from - and within sight of - her parent's home. After having lived in Illinois, Kentucky, and Ohio with her husband, Mrs. Decker moved back to Illinois with her two sons as a single parent, choosing Robinson as her home, which was also home to her brother Jim and wife, Marge ( Barr ) Mann, both deceased, and their two children James T., who married Carolyn Patton, and E. Jane, who married Robert Pyle.

There, she managed a miniature golf course and then worked at Crawford Electronics, Victor-Dana, Inc., and Crawford Memorial Hospital in the dietary department, from which position she retired. After a few years, Jean returned to her former position at the hospital, where she worked a few more years before retiring a second time. She was an active member of the Methodist Church beginning in 1964, participating in the Sewing Circle and other church groups, including one that went to the Methodist Village nursing home in Lawrenceville, IL, on a regular basis to do volunteer work. She was also an avid supporter of her youngest son's Little League baseball team as a very vocal fan-in-the-stands and was a life-long artist who fearlessly entered juried competitions.

Mrs. Decker's fine art talent was apparent at a young age and was fully developed by the time she entered high school. As an adult, she competed in art shows in Greensburg, KY, Wooster, OH, and Palestine, IL, and her work was recognized with several levels of award ribbons. Mrs. Decker honed her art skills by taking art classes from a local artist, Pansy Phillips, in Greensburg, KY. It was in Mrs. Phillips' studio that Mrs. Decker's oil painting of a lighthouse drew the attention of Janice Holt Giles, a best-selling author from 1950 through the '70s and whose books are still sold on Amazon and elsewhere. Mrs. Giles commented about the beauty and craftsmanship of Mrs. Decker's work. It's worth noting that Giles wrote 24 books, which were reviewed in the New York Times regularly and which included many bestsellers selected to be included in book clubs. Her New York literary agency hung her portrait along with those of H.G. Wells, Edith Wharton, and Willa Cather.

In addition to her training from Mrs. Phillips, Mrs. Decker also took lessons from the Famous Artist's Correspondence School, a founder of which was the eternally popular Norman Rockwell. Ironically, both of Mrs. Decker's sons are 10th and 14th cousins of Rockwell through two different ancestral lines on their father's side of the family, according to data at Geni.com.

Jean and her sons toured Jean Heath's private art studio in her Robinson, IL home by invitation and had a lively conversation about art in general and Mrs. Heath's work, which was beautiful. Before moving to Robinson, Mrs. Heath had studied under William Thon, a painter and printmaker. Mr. Thon's works are exhibited in the Smithsonian, the Brooklyn Museum, and elsewhere, and some of his works have been sold by Sotheby's, one of New York's most famous fine art and antiques auction houses.

Mrs. Decker also studied under a well-known artist in the Palestine area, Joan Fulling, who was commissioned to do a painting of the interior of the George Rogers Clark Memorial, which was later printed as a full-color lithograph and sold to the general public to raise funds for the memorial. Mrs. Fulling, a certified art educator with a Master's degree, studied under such distinguished individuals as: Jerry Baum, artist/illustrator, whose work is featured in embassies around the world, and George Foster, whose competitive design for the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Association for a monument in St. Louis, submitted in 1947, won second place. The winner of that competition was the Gateway Arch, designed by Eero Saarinen. Mrs. Fulling also studied under Daniel E. Greene, who's considered the foremost pastel artist in the US by the Encyclopædia Britannica . Greene's works appear in more than 700 public and private collections in the US and abroad. His portraits include Eleanor Roosevelt , Ayn Rand , William Randolph Hearst , and Dave Thomas , founder of Wendy's

On one occasion, Mrs. Decker met the internationally acclaimed nature artist Robert Bateman at an exhibition of his work. Mr. Bateman, a Canadian, was commissioned by Queen Elizabeth II to do portraits of Charles ( Mountbatten-Windsor ), Prince of Wales, and Philip ( Mountbatten ), Prince of Edinburgh. In 1977, Her Majesty awarded Bateman the Queen Elizabeth Silver Jubilee Medal - just a few years prior to Mrs. Decker meeting him. She had a nice chat with him as he autographed a calendar for her that featured his works. During a Q&A period, Bateman jokingly referred to Mrs. Decker's son, David, a former art educator and then professional graphic designer, as "an art snob" but quickly confessed to being one himself. David was neither embarrassed nor offended by Bateman's jest.

Jean also made several trips to Chicago specifically to attend some of the spectacular art exhibitions, such as the Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibit at the Field Museum of Natural History in 1976. She also attended specially curated exhibitions of the works of Renoir, Monet, Degas, O'Keefe, and many more. She also enjoyed touring the St. Louis Art Museum and was particularly fond of the works of the beloved George Caleb Bingham, known as "The Missouri Artist". According to data at Geni.com, Bingham was Mrs. Decker's 11th cousin, 5 times removed. She also enjoyed a regional, competitive art exhibit in Springfield, IL, mounted in the late '80s.

Jean counted among her friends Dennis Komac, of Hollywood and Springfield, IL (now deceased), who worked on the first "Star Wars" film, and who also worked on "Rent a Cop" starring Burt Reynolds and Liza Minnelli, in which he developed special effects and had a walk-on part, "Lady in Red," and "Poltergeist," among other feature films. Mr. Komac always enjoyed teasing Mrs. Decker. His pet name for her was "Mean Jean," which he knew was opposite her true nature. She still has several friends in Springfield, Carbondale, and Petersburg, IL, who ask about her.

Nearly everyone who met Jean Decker was struck by her warm personality, her upbeat attitude, and her good sense of humor. She was known by her family as a strong, self-sacrificing, deeply loving mother, a doting grandmother, a dutiful, loving daughter and a loving aunt, cousin and niece. She was also known as a dependable, hard-working, cooperative employee. If one were to try to sum up Melba Jean ( Mann ) Decker's character in just three words, they would have to be: "Duty, Integrity, and Love," but not necessarily in that order.

Mrs. Decker is survived by her son, Gregory C. Decker (Robin) of Robinson, IL; her son-in-law, Michael Ellis of Carbondale, IL; five grandchildren, Saul D. Decker (Sandy) of Elizabethtown, KY, Sarah D. Decker of Rockford, IL, and Jennifer S. Kamplain (Tim) of Flat Rock, IL, Matt Hightshoe (IN) and Luke Hightshoe (IL); and her great-grandchildren, Jacob S. Decker (Lauren), Michael T. Decker, Saphira Kamplain, Andrew Kamplain, Spencer Hightshoe, Sydney Hightshoe, Jordan Hightshoe, Adrianne Hightshoe, Maleah Hightshoe, and Niah Hightshoe. She's also survived by one sister-in-law, Karen Sue Pearson (Wayne) of New Caney, TX; one brother-in-law, Dan K. Powell (Karen) of Flora, IL; a nephew, James T. Mann (Carolyn) of Morton, IL; a niece, E. Jane Pyle (Robert) of Pekin, IL; a first cousin once removed, Frank Hettiger (Jennifer) of Flora, IL; and many other cousins.

A time of visitation will be held from 10:00-11:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 2nd, at the Goodwine Funeral Home ( 303 E. Main St., Robinson, IL ). Funeral services will immediately follow and be held at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Her son, Pastor Greg Decker, will officiate the service. A committal service will follow at 3:00 p.m. at the Elmwood Cemetery ( 338 S. State St., Flora, IL ).

In honor of her love of animals, memorials may be made to the "Crawford County Humane Society" , with envelopes available at the funeral home and cemetery.