Darrel F. "Bump" DeDecker

Darrel F. “Bump” DeDecker, 82, of Atkinson, IL, passed away Monday, December 05, 2016, at his home. A Funeral Mass celebrating his life will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, December 9th, at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Atkinson.  Father S. Stephen Engelbrecht will celebrate.  Burial will follow at St. Anthony Cemetery, Atkinson. Military Honors will be accorded by the Atkinson American Legion.  Visitation will be from 4-7 p.m. on Thursday at Vandemore Funeral Homes & Crematory in Atkinson. A Rosary will be recited at 3:30 p.m.  Memorials may be made to the Darrel DeDecker Memorial Fund.

Darrel was born on November 23, 1934, in Atkinson, IL, the son of August and Alma (Vandersnick) DeDecker.   He graduated from Atkinson High School in 1952.  Bump played two seasons of football at St. Ambrose College.  He proudly served in the US Marine Corp from 1954-1957. He played Navy football, obtained the rank of sergeant and aircraft radio technician instructor.   In 1957, Bump received a football scholarship to the University of Illinois.  He was selected as a first-team Academic All American in 1960. Upon graduation, he received a degree in Industrial Management.

Bump was selected in the 1959 NFL Draft as a lineman by the Chicago “Cardinals” and then drafted in the 1961 AFL draft by the Boston Patriots, the NFL St. Louis Cardinals, and the CFL Montreal Alouettes.  Other teams that expressed interest were the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Oilers, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, and the Chicago Bears.  After a stint with the St. Louis Cardinals, he was hired as the freshman line coach at the University of Illinois.  He worked four years as a plant manager for TRW Electronics in Marshall and Casey, Illinois.  In 1968, he moved back to Atkinson.  Bump was a longtime partner/owner with his brother, sister and nephew in the family business, DeDecker Hardware, which was founded by his father Gus in 1945, and is a fixture in downtown Atkinson.

He was united in marriage to Henrietta L. “Hank” Claeys DeReu on November 6, 1970, in Rock Island.  Bump was a member of St. Anthony Catholic Church in Atkinson. He was the custodian and caretaker for several years.  He was also a member of the Atkinson American Legion and Atkinson Volunteer Fire Department.  Darrel gave back to the community by organizing the youth football program (1969) and coaching Atkinson High School football. The 1979 and 1985 teams went to the state playoffs.

He is survived by his wife, Henrietta “Hank,”; his sons, Drew (Lynn) DeDecker of Evergreen Park, IL, Darren DeDecker of Peoria, IL, and Dane DeDecker of Atkinson; and stepsons, Ken (Lorinda) DeReu of Atkinson, Dan (Lisa) DeReu of Atkinson,  Mike (Donna) DeReu of Buda, IL, and Nick DeReu of Rio Rancho, NM. His 19 grandchildren are Derek DeDecker, Laura (Ray) Johnson, Andrew DeDecker, Denise DeDecker, Dirk DeDecker, Marcus DeReu, Johnna (Clayton ) Conrad, Denelle (Andy) Anderson, Tyler( Katie Paxton ) DeReu, Dustin (Rachel Lippens) DeReu, Josh (Arianna ) DeReu, Jessica DeReu, Gabriella DeReu, Jessie (Monique) DeReu, Ben DeReu, Michael (Abi) Stout, Chawntel Thompson, Danny Thompson, and Charity (Mike) Herz. He has 20 great-grandchildren; sister-in-law, Marilyn DeDecker of Atkinson; and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, August and Alma DeDecker, his sister, Gloria Junior, and his brother, Richard.

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