Barbara Marcella Decker, 82, of Cherokee, Alabama, passed away peacefully after a brief illness on February 15, 2015 at Helen Keller Hospital in Sheffield, Alabama. The daughter of the late George and Pearl Willis Elie of Vandalia, Michigan, she was born on December 27, 1932, in Chicago, Illinois. She was preceded in death by her former husbands, Harold Tom Tucker and Dean Decker, and her beloved daughter, Sharon Lynn Tucker.
A former resident of Vandalia and Cassopolis, Michigan, Barbara moved to Iuka, Mississippi, in 1989. She later moved to Cherokee, Alabama and in 1996 became owner and manager of the Stateline General Store and Bear Creek Café until its closing in 2008. She was also a part owner of the Buzzard Roost Restaurant in Cherokee.
Barbara is survived by her nephew, Thomas Tucker of Osceola, Indiana, and niece, Sandra Tucker Duitman of Rome, Georgia, her lifelong friends Walt and Pam Kunkel of Oak Forest, Illinois, and their two children, Jeff and Heather, and Edith Hertsel of Cassopolis, Michigan. She will be sadly missed by her former staff and friends of the Bear Creek Café.
Cremation was entrusted to Morrison Funeral Homes in Tuscumbia, Alabama. In keeping with her wish, there will be no memorial service. For those wishing to express their fondest memories of Barbara, an online guestbook is available at morrisonfuneralhomes.com. Family and friends would also like to thank the staff at the Palliative Care Unit of Helen Keller Hospital for their expert and compassionate care. Memorial contributions can be made to the Colbert County Animal Shelter in Tuscumbia, Alabama.
