Catherine J. Decker

Catherine J. (Doudney) Decker was born on July 19, 1932, in Kansas City, Missouri. She died October 29, 2025, at Aspire Senior Living, in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. Catherine was the daughter of Faye and Edna Doudney of Independence, Missouri. She graduated from William Chrisman High School in 1951.

Catherine (Cathy) grew up with a love for lots of things: flowers, books, friends, and especially horses and dogs. AS a young girl she rode with the Rodeo Kids of Kansas City. After graduating high school she began working at Sears Roebuck and Co., where she met John E. Decker. They later married on July 1, 1954. A few years later they had one son, Brian C. Decker. Upon Brian entering the world, she decided to be a stay-at-home mom, which gave her time to raise her son and become involved in a number of civic endeavors. She was active in PTA, Boy Scouts, United Methodist Womans Group, Leage of Women Voters, and Director of the Independence School for Children with Cerebral Palsy.

Her greatest loves, besides her family, was raising Golden Retrievers and working at the Bingham Waggoner Estate in Independence where she was a charter member. She volunteered hundreds of hours there and relished every minute. Cathy and Johnny were active members of the Kansas City Golden Retrievers Club, where they not only raised goldens but were involved in training them to be tracking dogs. Johnny and she were also judges at many tracking field trials. In later years when tracking trial judging was over, she and johnny took up playing banjos in the Kansas City Banjo Band where they played many ‘gigs’ mostly in the Kansas City vicinity. They and Brian owned a farm near Warsaw Missouri and spent many weekends at the farm with their dogs and horses.

Cathy is preceded in death by her parents, Faye and Edna Doudney, her husband John, and her son Brian. She is survived by one grandson, the ‘apple of her eye’, Jacob A. Decker. The family wishes to thank ACG Hospice and Aspire Senior Living Facility for their outstanding care this past year. Her ‘almost family’ caretakers have considered it a privilege to help her along the way the past few years.

Cathy’s funeral will be held Thursday, November 6, 2025 at Floral Hills Funeral Home in Kansas City, Missouri. Visitation will take place at 9:00 AM with the funeral to follow at 10:00 AM.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to ACG Hospice at ACGHospice.com