Tony Decker Obituary (1948 - 2019)

Riverton, UT — Tony Decker, 70, died Tuesday, February 5th, 2019. He was surrounded by family and friends. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Haydee (Caraza) Decker; his five children, Benjamin, Andrew, Jennifer (Chipping), Nathaniel, and Samuel; his twelve grandchildren, Natalie, David, Ella, Ethan, Elizabeth, Rowan, Noah, Gwen, Evie, Milo, Tessa, and Brody; as well as many extended family members, and friends. Born and raised in Salt Lake City, the son of Alton and Luane (Kennelly) Decker, he spent most his life in Salt Lake County, although he did live briefly in California, Colorado, and Texas during his younger years as he pursued a career as a performing and recording artist. In his youth, Tony discovered a love and talent for playing and writing music. He had a proclivity for composing catchy melodies with brilliant harmonies, and cleverly beautiful lyrics. He wrote and recorded many original songs throughout his life. Even during his final months, he recorded songs he’d written when he was younger, documenting them for future generations. Among his crowning achievements as a musician are events like opening for the Grass Roots, composing music recorded by artists like Jennifer Warnes, and seeing one of his songs land on a “Top 40” chart from 1967 alongside names like Frank Sinatra, The Doors, The Monkees, and of course, his favorite band of all time, The Beatles. Tony was serving an LDS mission in 1972, when he first met Haydee, his life-long sweetheart. They were married on December 27, 1975 in the Washington DC Temple. As much as Tony loved music, and as promising as was his future, he was more passionate about his new calling as a father and husband. Understanding the challenges involved with pursuing a life and career as an artist, he earned a degree in education from the University of Utah, and became a school teacher. Tony never did anything halfway, so he went back to school and completed his master’s degree from Utah State University. For over 30 years, he poured his heart and soul into teaching future generations. It was only fitting that, on the night he died, it snowed so much that the local schools were closed the next day; the first school “snow day” in Utah for at least two decades. Tony was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He had a deep love for the Gospel. He thirsted for knowledge, spending hours, days, and years of his life studying its teachings. Although he enjoyed researching and studying all scriptures and religions, the Book of Mormon was his passion. One of his proudest achievements is the authoring and publishing of two books – Why I Believe the Book of Mormon: And Why Anybody Can, and Traits of Truth: Proving the Book of Mormon. A viewing will be held from 5-7 PM on Sunday, February 10th at Jenkins-Soffe Funeral Chapel, located at 1007 W. South Jordan Parkway, South Jordan, Utah. Funeral services will be held Monday, February 11th at 12 PM (viewing at 11 AM) at the Western Springs First Ward, located at 12877 S. 4570 W., Riverton, with burial to follow.