David Grant Decker

David Grant Decker, age 83, of Mesa, Arizona, passed away peacefully at his home on Saturday, August 15, 2026. David was born on December 5, 1942 in the Maternity Hospital in Snowflake, Arizona to Lorenzo Bruyn Decker and Anna Favor Squires Decker. When born, he was the youngest of six children. His parents would later adopt his beloved younger brother, Jared Decker, who preceded him in death. He married his dear eternal sweetheart, Sandra Lee Nikolaus of Show Low, Arizona, on April 19, 1962. They were sealed for time and all eternity in the Mesa Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 19, 1963.

Before and after marrying his sweetheart, David attended Arizona State University, but returned to Snowflake, Arizona in 1963 to help take care of the family farm and ranch due to his father’s failing health. His decision to work the family farm and ranch continued a multi-generational heritage of ranching, beginning with his great grandfather Zachariah Bruyn Decker Jr. in the early 1880s. He remained in Snowflake, where he and Sandra raised their six children, until 2014, at which time they moved to Queen Creek, Arizona and then later to Mesa, Arizona to be closer to family.

David continued farming and ranching in the Snowflake area with his father and brother Fred during his early years. It was on the farm and ranch that his children first learned to work and play and to love the gospel of Jesus Christ, which he lovingly taught by word and example.Later in life he also worked as a real estate agent and broker. He was active in his beloved Snowflake community, including serving for many years on the Snowflake Unified District School board.

After moving away from Snowflake, David and his sweetheart Sandra constructed and decorated a beautiful cabin as a loving legacy for his family. The cabin is located along Decker Wash, several miles east of Heber, Arizona, on the ancestral ranch land that he and his Decker ancestors worked and loved. As he envisioned, this cabin is a sacred gathering spot for family reunions and for building and strengthening family bonds and memories.

David’s unwavering belief in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ formed the foundation for his noble and exemplary life. He constantly served others, always looking out for those who needed special help. He served faithfully in many callings as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including as a stake missionary (Seventy), Explorer leader (16-17 yr-olds), counselor in a bishopric, bishop, and stake mission president. He served two church missions with his eternal sweetheart Sandra, one in the Palmyra, New York Temple in 2010 and the other in the Columbia, South Carolina mission office in 2012-2013. He served for years as a temple worker in the Snowflake Arizona, Gilbert Arizona, and Palmyra New York temples.

David is survived by his wife, Sandra; his six children, Lee Decker (Cindy – deceased), Denée Tyler (Mark), Stefany Gustafson (Cliff), Nikolaus Decker (Anna), Jeramy Decker (Rosanne), and Gifford Decker (Marci); 31 of his 34 grandchildren; and 15 of his 16 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; all his siblings (Dan Decker, Janet Wallis, Fred Decker, Patricia Malan, Catherine Day/Overson, Jared Decker); his daughter-in-law (Cindy Rogers Decker); three of his grandchildren (Brendan Tyler, Cambry Decker, Savanah Decker); and one of his great-grandchildren (Jude River).

Celebration services for David will be held on Friday, August 28, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. with a visitation from 10-11 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint chapel on 2647 South Signal Butte Road, Mesa, Arizona. Graveside services will be held on Saturday, August 29, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at the Cemetery in Snowflake, Arizona (390 South 4th Street West).A family viewing will be held Thursday evening, August 27, 2026, from 6-8 p.m. at Bunker’s University Chapel, 3529 E. University Dr, Mesa, Arizona.

Arrangements by Bunker’s University Chapel, www.bunkerfuneral.com. Should this obituary appear anywhere but bunkerfuneral.com, please check our website for accurate details and service information.