Florence W. Decker

Flo began her college years at the University of Northern Colorado, where she met her first husband, John M. Stubbert Jr., also of Massachusetts. They married, John enlisted in the Army, and their first daughter, Mary Katherine, was born in Massachusetts.

In 1960, the family moved to Germany, where Flo had three more daughters—Birgitte Ann, Deborah Susan, and Linda Jean—all before 1965. During her years in Germany, Flo became fluent in German.

Following her divorce in 1969 and remarriage, Flo resumed her education, continuing her studies in the various places where her second husband was stationed. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Education from Rowan College in New Jersey in 1974 and her Master of Education from the University of Texas at El Paso in 1982. She also became fluent in Spanish, completing part of her education in Puebla, Mexico.

Flo spent much of her career teaching students in the El Paso public schools, although her work also took her to Dallas, New York City, and Alaska. She was especially fond of the Whole Language approach to teaching to non-English speaking students. Her work in the classroom expanded through consulting, teacher training, and writing. In 2002, she co-authored Launch into Reading, Level 1 and also contributed as a consultant to several Texas education publications.

After retiring from classroom teaching, Flo turned her lifelong sense of adventure toward full-time RVing and traveling. She found a wonderful community of friends through the Lone Star Bounders RV Club and eventually traveled to all 50 states, either by RV or by plane. Her adventurous spirit never really retired: at age 81, she whitewater rafted through Colorado's Royal Gorge with members of her family during record-high water.

Flo also loved gardens. Gardening brought her both solace and joy, and—as she did with so many things she loved—she found ways to share it with others. From 2013 to 2024, she was actively involved in the Master Gardener program, where she volunteered, taught students, worked in the vegetable garden, helped administer the intern program, and became part of a community she greatly enjoyed.

Her faith was also an important part of her later years. She was a member of The Ark Church in Conroe, where she regularly volunteered in the coffee shop after services and found friendship, fellowship, and support through a Sunday School group that became very meaningful to her.

In March 2025, Flo moved to Franklin, Texas, where she lived with her youngest daughter, Linda, and son-in-law, Crayden, for the remainder of her life. She no longer had to cook dinner herself but instead enjoyed many carefully crafted meals from Crayden's kitchen. Living in Franklin also brought her closer to her other daughters—Mary, Birgitte, and Debbie—and their husbands, as well as to more of her extended family. Flo leaves behind fifteen grandchildren—one of whom preceded her in death—and five great-grandchildren.

The family would like to express their gratitude to Caring Companions and Accent Hospice for the wonderful care, kindness, and support they gave Florence during the final months of her life.

A Time of Remembrance for Flo will be held Saturday, October 3, 2026 at 11:30 at the Wesley House 208 North Main Street, Franklin, TX 77856.