Ellie Decker

Eleanor 'Ellie' Mary Decker\r\nMattoon-Eleanor 'Ellie' Mary Decker, age 76, of Mattoon, formerly of Morton, passed away at 6:10 a.m., Thursday, March 2, 2012, at the Odd Fellow-Rebekah Home in Mattoon. \r\nThe funeral service in her honor will begin at 1:00 p.m., Monday, March 5, 2012, at Mitchell-Jerdan Funeral Home, 1200 Wabash Avenue, Mattoon, IL 61938. Reverend Ken Hutchens will officiate. Interment will be in Dodge Grove Cemetery, Mattoon. Visitation will be held two hours prior to the service (11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.) at the funeral home. \r\nBorn January 16, 1936, in Towanda, IL, Ellie was the daughter of Alva T. and Mary W. Eastwood, both deceased. She married Howard Decker on August 11, 1963 at the First Methodist Church in Normal. He survives. Other survivors include two cousins, Arthur 'Tick' Spencer of Bloomington, and Charlene Coultas of Anchor. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by three brothers.\r\nA graduate of Normal Community High School and Illinois State University, Ellie taught English at East Peoria High School from 1958 to 1975. She also taught part-time at Mattoon High School from 1977 to 1982, serving as faculty sponsor for the school yearbook, 'The Riddle' in 1977. From 1977 to 1995, she taught composition at Lake Land College, primarily at the Effingham extension center. She and her husband, Howard, founded Spectrum Educational Media, Inc. along with Spectrum Printing, where she served as office manager until her retirement in 1995. \r\nEllie was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Mattoon, where she belonged to the Asbury Sunday School Class and United Methodist Women. She served as Sunday school teacher and for several years, directed many of the craft activities for the church bazaars. She was also a member of the United Methodist Church of Sun City Center, FL, a long-time member of the Mattoon Golf and Country Club, and the Chapter KQ of the PEO. \r\nIn lieu of flowers, friends may send donations in her honor to Lincoln Land Hospice at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center or the First United Methodist Church of Mattoon. \r\nPlease visit www.mitchell-jerdan.com to light a virtual candle in her honor or share a memory with her family. \r\n

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Ellie Decker

January 16, 1936 - March 2, 2012