Norman “Gene” Deckard, 83, passed away peacefully January 11, 2022 at Liberty Hospital.
Gene was born December 10, 1938 in Kansas City, MO, to Lester and Gusta Deckard. He attended Park Hill High School and the University of Central Missouri. He was employed by Baxter Healthcare for thirty-four years.
He is a former member and deacon of the First Baptist Church of Excelsior Springs and currently was a member at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church. He enjoyed serving as an usher and his involvement with his small group at PVBC.
Gene was a long-time resident of Excelsior Springs. He volunteered on the Park and Recreation and Planning and Zoning committees for the city of Excelsior Springs. He also volunteered at the Good Samaritan Center. He was President of the Excelsior Springs Garden Club and a long-time member. He was an active member of the Excelsior Springs Community Center. He enjoyed gardening, woodworking and collecting antiques. Gene’s engaging and optimistic personality was an encouragement to all those around him. His selfless nature was a true blessing.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers, Donald Jay Deckard and half-brother Lowell Vance Davis.
He will be dearly missed by his wife of fifty-seven years, Anita Deckard; two daughters, Dana Chadwick (Lance) and Tonya Mitchell (Sam); four grandchildren, Bennett Chadwick, Evan Chadwick, Sam Mitchell, and Tessa Mitchell; niece and nephews; and many other family and friends.
There will be no formal visitation due to concerns about Covid, but a funeral service will be held on Thursday, January 20 at 10:00 a.m. The service will be held at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church, 1600 North 291 Highway, Liberty, Missouri 64068. A private, family graveside service will be held following the funeral at Hillcrest Cemetery in Excelsior Springs, MO.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting gifts to Pleasant Valley Baptist Church, 1600 North 291 Highway, Liberty, MO 64068; Good Samaritan Center, 108 S. Thompson Avenue, Excelsior Springs, MO 64024; or Meet The Need, P.O. Box 130, Lawson, MO 64062.
Arrangements in care of Bross & Spidle Funeral Home, Excelsior Springs.
Our Sincere Condolences
So very sorry for your loss. We have both known Gene since childhood. He will be missed.
Buzz and Jenny Williams
We will miss you my friend.
See you again in Heaven.
Virgil & Marilyn O’Grady
We are sorry for your loss, we learned to know Gene through our community Group at Pleasant Valley he was such a pleasant and fun guy. We will miss him!
Judy & Jarold Esau
I have so many good memories of Gene Deckard and his kindness. My husband (Forrest) and I met Anita and Gene Deckard when they moved to Excelsior Springs over 50 years ago. We actually met at The First Baptist Church. Gene was always ready to help us. He was never too tired, or too busy, or disinterested in our needs. He always responded with an enthusiastic smile, a positive response, and ready to spring into action. We four couples, Dean and Linda Kline, Betty and Don Siegel, Gene and Anita Deckard, and Forrest and I shared many enjoyable and fun times together for many years.
Gene and Forrest spent several years attending Friday night football games cheering on The Tigers together. I remember several times they wore trash bags for raincoats and raved about how dry they stayed. They were so proud of their cheap raincoats. I’m not sure, but I think some of their delight was because they saved money on raincoats. However they were very generous to their wives.
My heart grieves for you my friend, Anita. May Jesus surround you with love and comfort as only He can and may you know that I am grateful to call you my friend.
Hazel Livingston
It has been great knowing you for 60+years and calling you my brother in law. You will be missed by everyone that has known you, keep singing.
Kay Transano
Gene will be very much missed. He always had a smile and a willing heart of service and integrity. We are so blessed
to have known Gene and Anita. I am sure that as he entered heaven, he heard “Well done, my Good and Faithful servant”
Heaven is richer and we are blessed to have called this family our friends.
Until we are together again……
Jack and Celia Carnes
Gene is now home with no more pain, but we who are left on this side will miss him until we meet again. My prayers are now for you, Anita, and other family and friends who knew and loved Gene and you.
Linda Wiese
I will miss Mr. Deckard down at the yard waste drop off site. He was one of my favorite customers and well liked by all.
Mike Britt
My thoughts and prayers are with each Anita, Dana and Tonya and your families. Gene will be missed but have fond memories.
Kathy Marriott Goode
I remember Gene teaming up with Larry Hoffman at Good Samaritan Center to keep the staff, the volunteers, and the clients at least smiling, but maybe laughing out loud. Both men lived their faith and did so in great good humor. Onward Gene!
Roberta Hammer
I got to know Gene (and Anita) through the Excelsior Springs Garden Club. He was always pleasant and upbeat. Comforting thoughts for you Anita, and family, in your loss.
Cindy Dean
Tonya, Dana, and Anita, I know your family, and our community is experiencing a great loss with the passing of your Dad and Husband. He was generous and kind, and just a very good man! You have so many good memories to last forever. Take care…
Charlyn B Robinson
What a gift Gene Deckard was to me! He was so influential in my life. He volunteered frequently in children’s ministry. I and many others I’m sure remember Gene as the “funny guy” in Sunday School. He told stories so well and was always able to hold our attention, bringing a ton of energy with him when serving. I remember in the 3rd grade he was an enormous encourager in getting us all to memorize the books of the New Testament…and this was the real deal – we each had to stand up in front of large group time and say them aloud individually. Gene was SUCH a cheerleader for all of us. I still remember the look on the one 3rd grader’s face who never thought he’d be able to do it. And it took a while. But he did it! And Gene always cheered on this child and never made them feel “less than” just because it came easier for some. He was such a grace-giver.
The biggest impact he made in my life was when he served as a leader in VBS (Vacation Bible School) after I had completed 5th grade. (an aside – as an adult, I realize now that Gene had to take vacation time off from his job in order to serve. Wow! What a sacrifice!) The last day of VBS, Gene had us 5th graders sit on the floor, he turned out the lights, had us bow our heads and close our eyes and explained how Jesus came to save us. The phrase he said that made everything crystal clear to me was, “even if your mom and dad are Christians, that doesn’t automatically make you a Christian. You can’t ride on their coattails to heaven. It’s a decision you must make for yourself. God’s not going to let you into heaven just because your parents are Christians. And you’re not a Christian just because you go to church.” And he explained how Jesus came to earth, fully God and fully man, lived a sinless life, yet took my sins on Him and was nailed to the cross, died, rose to life, and ascended to heaven all so I could have a relationship with God. A light flicked on in my head. I grew up always loving Jesus, but I’d never personally asked Him to be my Savior. So right there and then I asked Jesus to be my Savior on June 17, 1977. And I was immediately a new creation! The old had gone, the new had come! I felt so clean and new! How sinful can an 11-year-old be? I don’t know, but I felt clean and new. I was baptized the following Sunday. The next week I had an unexplainable, huge desire to read the Bible and started in the book of Romans.
I am so thankful to God for Gene Deckard. Anita, Dana and Tonya, I hope his life and his legacy gives you comfort. You didn’t lose him because you know where he is. And he wasn’t taken from you, he was taken before you. I pray that I can be for others what Gene was for me. All the Strattons are praying for you as you grieve and thanking God for Gene’s life. He was a good one. God bless each of you.
Jean (Stratton) Janner
I thank Our Lord for allowing our paths to cross with Anita and Gene so many years ago. Gene, was the real deal…. All he professed to be. A workman telling the “good news” of JESUS and sharing his many gifts of the Spirit with PVC kids and many kindnesses to us all. HE WILL BE MISSED BY SO MANY LIVES HE HAS TOUCHED. ANITA, YOU ARE A TROOPER.
THE EPLEES
