Buck Decker

Buck Lloyd Decker was born in a one-bedroom sod house on December 4,1930 in Fiona, Texas. He was the second-born of seven children. Buck spent his childhood working on the family farm in northwest Oklahoma. A self-described ‘poor farm boy, he went on to major in Agricultural Engineering at Oklahoma A&M (now known as Oklahoma State University), where he excelled in his class.

While at Oklahoma A&M he met Betty Cummins, the love of his life. They married in 1951. Together they raised 3 children, Mike, LeAnn, and Matthew. Buck is survived by three brothers, Roy and his wife, Loretta of Alva, OK; David of Phillipsburg, NJ; John and his wife, Suzy of Oklahoma City, Ok; his sister, Edith Duckworth of Houston, TX; son, Mike of New Hartford, Iowa; daughter, LeAnn Baker of Boyd, Texas; son, Matthew and his wife, Mary of Rhome, Texas; 5 grandchildren, and 6 great grandchildren.

Upon graduation from college in 1954, he interviewed with several agriculture tractor companies. He felt that the best place to raise a family, of all the company locations, was Cedar Falls, Iowa. Buck had a sense of patriotic pride and enlisted in the United Stated Air Force as a 2nd Lieutenant. He served as an air traffic controller and pilot for three years. He returned to his John Deere engineering job to develop ‘new generation’ 3010 and 4010 models. He advanced within the company to engineering international models of 4435 to Mexico. He played an integral part in the initiation of tractor manufacturing programs in Venezuela, Argentina, and Brazil.

Buck retired from John Deere after 31 years in 1985. He continued working as a consultant for John Deere Mexico, moving to Monterrey, Mexico. He conducted training programs for the engineering staff and working on several studies for John Deere.

He enjoyed his family after moving to Decatur, Texas in 2012. He took pride in an impeccable yard, and enjoyed hosting holiday dinners, playing card games, sitting around campfires, taking equipment apart (just to put it back together), and painting tools Deere yellow and green.

Buck is remembered by his family and friends as being kind, smart, witty, generous, mischievous, tough as nails, and full of charm.

Buck was preceded in death by his loving wife of 66 years, Betty; his parents, William and Myrtle; his brother, George ‘Jack’; and his sister, Lavonua Bixler. Buck knew his Lord and joined him on May 10th, 2024. He is now being enveloped by his Heavenly Father.