This photo was taken at Scott’s Farmhouse in August 1961.
Sharon is talking with Golden Decker in the driveway (which by the way is not
on this side of the house any longer.
Golden is probably discussing plans for the evening. Dorothy is standing on the steps and I am
sitting on the steps next to her. There
are other family members on the side porch.
The man standing who is blocked by the porch post is my grandfather,
T.J. O’Donnell. I can’t make out who the lady in the chair is and possibly the
child by post is my baby sister, Meg.
In my eyes the Decker Brothers were like three peas in a pod - I guess that’s not surprising for three brothers
that were born so close to each other. This was the pre-birth control era, so no matter what your religious beliefs, there were simply no safe, reliable means to space your pregnancies.
I always saw Golden as the strong, calm, steady older brother and the “leader”.
Lyle was the quiet, sultry, sexy baby -faced beauty. Years later when Brad Pitt came on the scene, he put me in mind of my “darling Lyle”.
Stanley seemed to fit well the role of the youngest brother. He was sweet and loving, gentle, funny and a bit naive. I dare say I think he “loved” Dorothy with all his young heart even more so than his more worldly wise brothers loved Sharon and me. At least he pursed Dorothy longer. I failed to mention earlier that after his little stent in jail Stanley joined the Army and served his country from 1962 to 1965. He did his family and his country proud and it was obvious he was dearly loved by all who knew him. Sadly he died on January 4, 2005, one day before his
60th Birthday. I will try harder to find the letters I received from him and Lyle especially since one of the letters from Stanley contains an absolutely adorable photo of a very young, smiling Stanley Decker proudly displaying himself in his brand new Army uniform. I could not find an obituary on line for my dearly beloved, Lyle Decker, so all I know about his passing is that he left this earth way too young ( a mere 52 )after a three year long battle with bone cancer.
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