Elly W. Decker

Elly W. Decker was born Jan. 17, 1931 in Brooklyn New York to her parents Frieda and Wilhelm Herring. Elly was seven years old when she was told that her parents needed to return to Germany to visit her Grandmother who was very ill. Her return to Germany, the birthplace of her parents, was just prior to the outbreak of WW11 and she would remain in Nazi Germany for the duration of the war. Elly and her parents survived the war even through the bombing of their home, persecution, harassment, and hunger. Elly returned to the United States when she was 13 years old by stowing way in a US Navy vessel as she was a US born citizen. Once she returned to New York, she was met by an Uncle who would care for her until she began working in the home of a wealthy New York family as a governess to their children. Elly accompanied the family on a vacation holiday to Florida and this is when Elly decided to retire from Governess work and move her life to Florida. Elly fell in love with the beauty of Florida and knew she wanted to live in Florida for all her life.

Once in Florida, Elly resided at the YWCA and took a job as a waitress at a Miami diner; this is where she met her lifelong love, Robert. W. Decker, cook and manager of the diner. They were married on Feb. 1, 1951 and lived in Opa Locka, Florida. Their first daughter, Lisa, was born in 1958 and was followed by sister, Christine in 1961 and sister, Susanne in 1964. Prior to the birth of her daughters, Ellys parents came from Germany to live with her and Robert and would remain living with the family until their passing in the late 1980s at the ages of 86 & 87.

At the age of 37, Elly returned to school at Miami Dade Junior college on a probationary basis as she had never completed high school due to the war. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with her BA and continued her education graduating Magna Cum Laude with her Masters degree in Literature from Barry University in Miami.

Elly sought a career in teaching that began at Piper High School in Sunrise, Florida where she taught both English and German. She was also the sponsor of the literary magazine, The Sandpiper.

Elly began teaching at Hollywood Hills High School in the early 1990s and taught English and English Honors for grades 9-12.

In 1998, Elly retired from teaching. She told her family that she would miss her students that she loved but that she could finally wake up later than 5:30am every day and not have to grade any more papers!

During retirement, Elly and her husband Robert traveled across the United States by car, took cruises in Alaska and the Panama Canal, visited the Grand Canyon and Hover Dam and had many other travel adventures.In 1995 with the birth of her granddaughter Ciara Salg, she started her favorite job description, Grandma. Elly was Grandma also to T.J. Salg (1998) and Richard Reardon (2005). Elly was a loving, caring, giving and wonderful Grandma to all of her beloved Grandchildren.

Elly loved teaching, her students, plants, dogs, animals, traveling, classical music, ballet, opera, arts, theater, nature, playing board games, crossword puzzles and most of all she loved her family and her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Elly will be remembered in the hearts and minds of all who loved her.