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Roy Harold Decker

Roy Harold Decker, 56, of Guilford, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his loving family on Feb. 12, after a long battle with cancer. He was born in Hillsdale, New Jersey, on March 7, 1966, to Harold and Julia Decker and grew up there with four older sisters.

Roy was married to Elizabeth English Decker, the love of his life, for 26 years. Their three children, Fay Evelyn Decker, Bridget Marie Decker, and Julia Lynn Decker, were the light of his life. He is also survived by his four older sisters, Carol Gawthrop, Nancy Nelson, Judy Lee, and Diane Siegel. Roy was predeceased by his parents, Harold Leroy Decker and Julia Berghuys Decker.

After graduating from Pascack Hills High School in New Jersey, Roy went on to attend the University of Virginia, where he met his wife, Elizabeth. They were friends for many years before they fell in love and married. After graduating, they enjoyed many wonderful years together hiking, climbing, and camping in the Pacific Northwest before they returned to Richmond, Virginia, where Roy obtained his MD and Ph.D from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2002.

Roy completed his residency and joined the faculty of the Yale School of Medicine in the Department of Therapeutic Radiology in 2007. He rose through the ranks there, becoming a professor in 2016. His illustrious career at Yale included his appointments as the Director of the Residency Program, Vice Chair of Clinical Research, and Director of the Clinical Trials Office at the Yale Cancer Center. Roy was an international expert in lung cancer as well as an early pioneer of stereotactic body radiation therapy. He was an outstanding educator, mentoring many medical students, residents, and junior faculty, and was twice presented with the Educator of the Year Award. He conducted research and authored or coauthored many publications, including the definitive chapter on lung cancer in the textbook of record for radiation oncology.

Greatest of all his accomplishments was that Roy was a loving husband and father who enjoyed nothing more than cooking with his family and occasionally drinking some of his growing wine collection. He loved adventure and travel, had an amazing sense of humor, and was a kind and compassionate man. Roy was the person you would go to when troubled or in need of advice. His many, many friends, colleagues, patients, and family members will miss him terribly but will find comfort in the way he lived his life right up until the very end. Roy’s ashes will be scattered in the Back Bay near the family beach house in Sandbridge, Virginia Beach, a place where his family created many joyful memories together.

Family and friends are welcome to attend a Celebration of Life from 1 to 3 p.m. Monday, March 27, at Meigs Point Nature Center at Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Guilford Land Trust where Roy spent many hours mountain biking and hiking. Donations can also be made to the Roy Decker Lectureship Fund, Yale University Department of Therapeutic Radiology, P.O. Box 208040, New Haven, CT 06520-8040. The family would like to thank all the remarkable people involved in his care at the Yale Cancer Center as well as HCP Healthcare and Hospice.