Marcel Dekker

Marcel was born on February 12, 1931, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, to the late Rosetta and Maurits Dekker. The family, his parents, and two older siblings, the late Elizabeth Dekker Wijnberg and late Andrew Dekker, immigrated to the United States in 1938 by ship to escape the Nazi German invasion into Holland. The family arrived in New York City and settled in Riverdale, the Bronx, New York.

In the US, Marcel attended public school and graduated high school from the Woodstock Country School (Woodstock, VT) in 1949. After a short stint at the University of Vermont, Marcel enlisted and served in the US Air Force for two terms from 1950-1955. After an honorable discharge, Marcel attended New York University on the GI Bill and received his bachelor’s degree in 1958. Marcel joined his father’s publishing company, Interscience Publishing Inc. In 1962, Interscience merged with John Wiley & Sons. After a year working for the combined company, Marcel branched off and founded his own publishing company, Marcel Dekker, Inc. which specialized in scientific, technical, and medical books and journals. Marcel served as the company’s President from its inception to 1997, and then as the company’s Chairman of the Board. Marcel Dekker, Inc. was sold in 2004 to Taylor & Francis plc.

Marcel was the beloved husband for 54 years to Harriett Gromb Dekker. Together they raised their three children, Russell Dekker, David Dekker, and Jacqueline Dekker Selkin. Marcel was a devoted and proud family man who enjoyed playing and learning new skills alongside his family and friends. He was an enthusiastic sportsman, traveler, and musician. He enjoyed playing competitive tennis and golf. He skied with passion and was a skilled bridge player. Marcel was excited to travel the world with his wife, children, and grandchildren. He loved the challenge of playing classical compositions on the piano, although never to his satisfaction. Marcel will be remembered and cherished by his family as a caring, enthusiastic, and thoughtful father, father-in-law, grandfather, and husband.

Marcel is survived by his wife, Harriett Gromb Dekker of Greenwich, CT; son, Russell Dekker and his wife, Deborah and their children, Nina and Gregory; son, David Dekker and his wife, Jennifer and their children, Hannah, Zachary and Sophie; daughter, Jacqueline Selkin and her husband, Alan and their children, Benjamin, Lauren, Jason and Olivia.

A private family service and burial will be held at Mount Eden Cemetery. A celebration of Marcel’s life will be held sometime in the near future. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Marcel’s name to Greenwich Hospital, ℅ GH Office of Development, 35 River Road, Cos Cob, CT 06807.