James DeWitt Decker

Jim Decker, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, friend, colleague and mentor passed away Thursday, March 3, age 78, from complications following a fall.

A professional engineer engaged in transportation planning in the U.S. and internationally, Mr. Decker spent 32 years with Wilbur Smith Associates (WSA), an engineering firm based in Columbia, SC.  International consulting work took him and family to Australia, London, Athens, and myriad other locations.  Jim's academic and professional background coupled with his experience and collegial manner were instrumental in building WSA's international reputation.  In addition, he spent 5 years with the Charleston Industrial Development Board (1982-1987). 

Born
August 8, 1932, in Islip, NY to Morris Truman and Eleanor Wright Decker, Jim attended high school in Potsdam, upstate New York, and continued on to Dartmouth College for an A.B. degree, graduating cum laude with the class of 1953.   He remained to earn an M.S. degree in civil engineering from Dartmouth's Thayer School.  In 1958, he received a graduate studies certificate from Yale University's Bureau of Highway Traffic.

After service in the Army Corps of Engineers in northern Alaska and Vicksburg, MS, an early-career posting with the Virginia Highway Department in Richmond, VA, resulted in the acquaintance of Mary Bernhardt Wolfe, a native North Carolinian.  Fifty-one years of marriage, two sons, two daughters-in-law and two grandchildren ensued.

His consulting career involved multiple assignments overseas through the 1960s and 1970s, followed by project management from the firm's home office in South Carolina.  The family settled first in Columbia and then Charleston in 1978.

Mr. Decker held strong interests in professional and civic life.  He served as a national director of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and was elected a fellow in the Society.  He served on the Charleston County Library Board and subsequently remained active with the Friends of the Library.  He was a member of the vestry of Grace Episcopal Church as well as an active member and officer with the Charleston Foreign Affairs Forum.  He was a member of Rotary International, a founding member of the Dartmouth Alumni Club of the Lowcountry and a member of the Carolina Yacht Club.

Survived by: his wife, Mary Bern of Charleston; his son Allen, daughter-in-law Maureen and granddaughter Mirna of New Bedford, MA; his son John, daughter-in-law Sherry and grandson James of Brooklyn, NY; his sister Sallie Ann and her husband Frank Plummer of Keene, NH; his brother Stephen and his wife Jeanette of Middlesex, NY; his brother Andrew of Penn Yan, NY; and one niece and four nephews.

A service for Jim will be held Monday, March 7 at 2 p.m. at Grace Episcopal Church, 98 Wentworth Street in Charleston.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials in his name to Grace Episcopal Church, 98 Wentworth Street, Charleston, SC 29401 www.gracechurchcharleston.org or the Friends of the Library, Jim Decker Fund, Charleston County Public Library, 68 Calhoun Street, Charleston, SC 29401 or any deserving charity of one's choice.

Arrangements by J. HENRY STUHR, INC., DOWNTOWN CHAPEL.