Clark and Earl Decker

CLARK WAYNE DECKER was born February 17, 1956, in Pasadena, TX. He passed February 28, 2019, in Humble, TX, after emergency surgery. Clark was my twin fraternal brother.

EARL MONET DECKER was born February 17, 1957, in Pasadena, TX, exactly one year to the day after Clark and I were born. Earl passed away in Phoenix, AZ, on October 12, 2025.

They were preceded in death by our father George Richard Decker, our mother Earline Wilson Taylor and our stepfather James Albert Taylor, our uncles Glenn R. Wilson and David Wilson, Grandparents Polly Decker, Robert Earl Wilson and Dora Wilson.

They were survived by me, Mark Duane Decker, Sr., and our Aunt Janice Wilson, many cousins and other relatives.

Clark married twice, but the marriages did not produce any children, and he divorced both of his wives several years before his passing.

Earl Monet Decker is survived by Elizabeth “Beth” Decker Poppin, Andrea Decker, James Decker, and Stephen “SteVeo” Decker and several grandchildren.

Earl’s middle name “Monet” caused him a lot of pain. It was like the Johnny Cash song “A Boy Named Sue”. Someone in the school office released the name; it resulted in Earl fighting several classmates. He never started a fight, but he never backed down either. He only lost one fight in his life to a boy that outweighed him by at least 50 lbs. and was several inches taller.

When Clark passed, I was not led to inter him at that time. So, I waited for the appropriate time which is now. It is appropriate to inter him and Earl at the same time, they were more than brothers, they were best friends for life.

When we moved into our new home in Cleveland, TX, Clark was given the back bedroom, The next morning he told us that he was not sleeping in the room again. He had heard noises outside and saw people with lanterns across the pond from the house. We found out later from speaking to James about it that it was his grandfather looking for his buried money. They were searching with a metal detector and digging up Mason Jars that had been filled with money and buried. So, I ended up moving into that bedroom and they shared a bedroom as kids.

Clark had a bad stutter, and it made it hard for his teacher to understand him, so she held him back in the first grade. Clark and Earl went to the same classes together for all 12 years of primary school. Clark and Earl did their homework together, played sports together, ate together, joked and pulled pranks on each other, and worked all the same jobs. Both enjoyed playing jokes on each other and schoolmates.

Both Clark and Earl were good athletes and enjoyed school. We played basketball, football, tennis and ran track events together and played chess against each other and members of the Chess Club. We also played pool against each other. The three of us enjoyed going hunting after school and on weekends.

Clark was an All-District Left Guard, and Earl was an All-District Wide Receiver. Earl and Clark were part of the school record breaking 4 x 100 relay team. Earl also ran the 400 and 4 x 400 and medley relay teams.

Both were extremely hard workers. When Clark graduated from high school, he continued working for Cleveland Forge for 2 years. All three of us worked for Cleveland Forge on weekends, all summer and school breaks.

We began hauling hay for local ranchers and dairy farmers when Clark and I were 13 years old and Earl was 12 in the almost unbearable Southeast Texas heat and humidity and worked in our garden and took care of our animals.

Clark attended Lamar University for a couple of years while working for Cleveland Forge.

Earl worked at Hughes Tool as a machinist and inspector, and he encouraged Clark to apply. Clark applied for and was hired as a Heat Treat operator from 1977 until 1983.He was a gifted Master Machinist and Metal worker who applied his craft to big ideas.

Clark and Earl got an apartment together for about a year until Earl married Lynn Sample.

Earl and Lynn gave birth to Elizabeth Decker.

Earl was a genuine man of God; he gave his life to the Lord when he was 13. He lived for the Lord Jesus Christ; ministering to and leading people to the Lord. Earl's greatest blessings were his children: Elizabeth "Beth", Andrea, James, and "SteVeo"; he prayed for them and their families every day. He is now with the Lord.

He was a history buff and loved college and NFL football, basketball, baseball and track and field. He could talk for hours about the Texas Longhorns, Houston Cougars, Houston Astros, Phoenix Sun basketball, Arizona Cardinals football, and Arizona Diamondbacks baseball.

Clark and Earl talked almost every day. I would talk to them multiple times every week. Earl loved to talk about Bible stories, his kids and family and sports. We also would pray together. I would also counsel both on many issues in almost all of our conversations.

When Hughes Tool started laying off 1000s of employees, Clark and Earl were some of the last to be laid off.

Earl went to work in Sales positions for a few years. Then he made a mistake and was imprisoned for 12 years. The Lord apparently put him to good work while he was there. He started ministering to and evangelizing other inmates. He enjoyed bringing the Good News and teaching The Word to the inmates. He told me that he was able to convert many of them to the Lord Jesus. He told me that he had a reputation in prison that God surrounded him and protected him, and if you fought him, you were fighting God.

He worked in the machine shop as a machinist and was quickly recognized for his unique skills and promoted to lead machinist. He handled any special projects that needed to be done.

After getting out, he worked as a machinist, welder, commercial fisherman, and was caregiver for our Uncle Tom Decker in Las Vegas until Tom’s death.

While driving his Silver Wing motorcycle in Vegas, he was hit by a drunk driver. He spent the next 6 months in the hospital or rehab after multiple surgeries. His health was never the same.

He moved to Phoenix about 14 years ago. The last few years have been extremely difficult for him because of mobility issues due to his knees and trying to deal with constant pain and inability to get pain medications. He developed multiple blood clots in his legs, so doctors did not want to do surgery until that was resolved. He finally found a doctor that put him on Eliquis, and it resolved his blood clots. Then he had insurance problems that prevented surgery.

Clark worked at Champion Paper as a lab technician from 1983 until 1999 when he was laid off.

Clark started driving for Metro Transit in Houston as a fixed route driver. After about 14 years, he started having nerve issues with his right hand and leg where he could not control his limbs. He went to TIRR, which is the TEXAS INSTITUTE OF REHABILITATION, and after several tests and MRIs they told him they found the problem and thought it could be resolved with surgery. The surgery was done, and Clark was left with no use of either his legs or his right arm and hand.

Despite his extremely hard work for the rest of his life to rehabilitate himself, he never got any better. The last 6 years of his life were horrible.

He died after having emergency bowel dissection and hernia procedure. He got the flu and pneumonia in the hospital; he developed an uncontrollable fever even with fever reducers and an ice blanket. Then he developed sepsis and massive organ failure of 5 organ groups. 

Clark loved The Lord, and I am sure he and Earl have caught up with each other and are telling each other jokes and looking for a pickup basketball game.

God Rest Your Souls and give you Eternal Peace surrounded by the Lord's love.

I miss my brothers.