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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, A life dedicated to the service of others has drawn |
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to a close with the death of Kenneth Lee Decker of Houston on |
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December 13, 2020, at the age of 74; and |
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WHEREAS, Ken Decker was born in Oklahoma City on April 9, |
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1946, to Willis and Wanda Decker, and he grew up with two sisters, |
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Donna and Kay; after graduating from S. H. Rider High School in |
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Wichita Falls, he attended the Georgetown University School of |
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Foreign Service in Washington, D.C.; in August 1970, he married |
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Lorraine Ross in Austin, and the couple later moved to Bologna, |
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Italy, where Mr. Decker studied at the Johns Hopkins School of |
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Advanced International Studies; and |
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WHEREAS, Returning to Austin, Mr. Decker worked as |
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international trade director for the Texas Department of |
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Agriculture while also attending the Graduate School of Business at |
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The University of Texas at Austin; in 1976, he joined Arthur |
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Andersen LLP, in Houston, where he rose to tax manager, and with the |
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encouragement of his wife, he went on to launch his own |
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international tax practice, Decker Financial, conducting financial |
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workshops and personal counseling sessions with thousands of |
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families around the world; and |
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WHEREAS, In the aftermath of 9/11, Mr. and Mrs. Decker |
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founded two nonprofits, Financial Mentors of America and Skills For |
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Living, and each summer, Mr. Decker organized and emceed the Game |
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of Real Life in Houston, inspiring underserved high school students |
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to strive for a brighter future; as president of Decker & |
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Associates, he published Real Life Financial Mathematics and worked |
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with more than 50 Texas school districts to train teachers in this |
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critical-thinking curriculum; he was active in many local, state, |
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and national professional organizations, and he was also a lifelong |
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member of the Houston Committee on Foreign Relations; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Decker was the proud and loving father of two |
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children, Caryn and Cameron, and having started his own career in |
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the public sector, he encouraged them to follow their dreams and |
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shape the world for the better as leaders in the City of San Diego |
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and Harris County governments, respectively; he delighted in the |
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time he spent traveling to the Texas Hill Country, Argentina, and |
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the Cayman Islands, and he enjoyed reading, listening to music, and |
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watching British mystery shows on television; and |
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WHEREAS, Although he is deeply missed, Ken Decker leaves |
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behind a legacy of generosity, wit, and compassion that will |
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continue to inspire all those who knew and loved him; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Kenneth Lee Decker |
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and extend heartfelt sympathy to his family and many friends; and, |
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be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Kenneth Lee |
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Decker. |