Joyce Jeffreys Decker

joyce  decker
Joyce Jeffreys Decker was born in 1930 and grew up in a large family in Brooklyn and Staten Island, NY. At 19, she met her husband Robert Decker and soon moved to Washington DC where Bob became a metropolitan policeman. Then in 1954 they purchased their first home in Vienna, VA.

In the years following, while managing their family of seven, Joyce became a highly respected member in the town of Vienna. She was a dedicated philanthropist of Vienna Little League, opened a successful private preschool and daycare center, Vienna Tiny Tot’s Village, and dedicated herself to helping others in many ways throughout her life.

As part of the Vienna Baseball Foundation, Joyce served with Fred Crabtree and other Little League founders. She chaired the fundraiser “The Chinese Auction” for 13 years and co-spearheaded the Commemorative Brick Project around the Vienna Library. Funds were used to build ball fields and support the growth of Vienna Little League.

The Vienna Little League Board of Directors, unanimously voted Joyce into the Vienna Baseball Association, an organization formed to manage Vienna Little League funds.

Vienna Little League, Yeonas Park, unanimously voted Joyce in as the first woman trustee and she later received the “Lifetime Commitment to Excellence” award for her service.

Vienna Little League, Inc., named Joyce as Trustee in 1990.

The Town of Vienna inducted Joyce into the Vienna Baseball Hall of Fame for her years of dedication to improving the game of baseball for the youth in the Town of Vienna.

And, for outstanding service and dedication, Joyce became a member of The Vienna Little League Honor Roll. She and her son, Ron Decker, are the only mother/son team to share the honor.

With five children and a busy schedule Joyce saw a huge need for child care and in 1968 opened one of the first daycare center and preschools in the area. Joyce directed the school with the same passion, attention and care she gave to her own family and Vienna Tiny Tot’s Village became a loving second home for generations of children in Vienna. Joyce spent a great deal of time counseling single parent families, helping them cope with daily problems and guiding their children. With a multigenerational enrollment and employee base, Tiny Tot’s students, parents and employees became a family. Parent’s who once walked the front porch in cap and gown to graduate from Vienna Tiny Tot’s Village Preschool later watched their own children graduate. Joyce’s children, grandchildren and great grandchildren graduated from Tiny Tot’s. Her school was a family owned business and most of the Decker Family worked for or supported the business in some way. Ron was Joyce's business partner and he took over directing the school in the later years.

Tiny Tot’s continued to serve families for 53 years until it closed in 2021 due to COVID.

Joyce was recognized for her dedication to the care and education of children and she received the honor of being chosen as the Vienna Regional Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year in 1994. And in October of 2006, Joyce was honored to be the Grand Marshal for the 60th Annual Vienna Halloween Parade.

Joyce is a breast cancer survivor having won the battle in 1980. The experience taught her that healing is about more than medicine and more support was needed for women. She joined the American Cancer Society Reach To Recovery program to visit women at home or in the hospital sharing her journey and to encourage women going through breast cancer, surgery and treatment.

During cancer treatment, she discovered the healing properties of natural products and became a member of Forever Living Products in 1982. She distributed aloe vera products for 35 years.

Joyce fiercely loved her husband and family, she was passionate about teaching and caring for children and she prioritized reaching out to those in need. She inspired, encouraged and she truly made a difference.

Her active years slowed considerably in 2016 after a fall which resulted in a traumatic brain injury and long recovery. Despite the setback, she continued to find joy each day and to inspire those around her.

Joyce is survived by her husband of 72 years, Robert Decker; their five children, Glen Decker (Gina), Ron Decker (Karen), Lynn Decker Enyart (Bill), David Decker (Carin) and Debbie Decker; seven grandchildren, Melissa Guidry (JR), Jonathan Decker (Emily), Matt Decker, Billy Enyart (Valerie), Lauren Horn (Dillon), John Decker and James Decker; ten great grandchildren, Quinn Guidry, Eleanor Guidry, JJ Decker, Lucas Decker, Theodore Decker, Skyla Enyart, Rio Enyart, Sage Enyart, Lee Horn and Jack Horn.

Services will be held at St. Mark Catholic Church on December 10th at 11:00AM, 9970 Vale Road, Vienna, VA 22181. All are welcome to attend. A reception will be held immediately following.

Interment ceremony will take place at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Susan G. Komen or to St. Jude Research Hospital.

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  1. Q: How did you meet Joyce?

    A: I met Mrs. Decker through her son, Ron. Ron was my coach for many seasons of VYI and the memories in Vienna are incredible. What a legacy Joyce was for the town and it’s people. Condolences to the entire family.
    Chris Conte “the Macaroni Pony”

  2. Q: How would you describe Joyce to someone who had never met them?

    A: If I had to describe Mrs. Decker to someone who didn’t know her, I would describe her as strong, independent, determined and optimistic. She had a heart of gold and wanted what was best for everyone she met. She loved her family, loved New York, loves the children and families she worked. She welcomed everyone with open arms. She loved crafts and craft shows and being involved in the community. Mrs. Decker was always on the go with her multitude of businesses, community events and organizations she was involved in. Her love was the daycare center she opened up and saw many children grow up. She treated every employee like they were family and loved celebrating birthdays or anything she could. She enjoyed life to the fullest and loved everyone around her to the end. Mrs. Decker was like a grandmother to me and treated my own son as her own grandchild.

  3. Dear Decker Family — we are so very sorry for your loss. Joyce was such a warm, wonderful presence when our children were at Tiny Tots. Christina, Alex and Matt were always happy to see her and she always showed love and care for the children there. they had great times under her care. We will miss her so much. May her memory be eternal. With love, the Bosco Family — Cassandra, Rod, Matt, Christina and Alex


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