Born to Clyde and Ona Decker in the midst of World War II on July 25, 1942, Donna Lea Decker attended Cashmere High School and graduated in 1960. During that time, she participated in the Cashmere High School Marching Band and Rainbow Girls. In 1960, she attended the Deaconess School of Nursing in Wenatchee. She graduated in 1963, as a second-generation Registered Nurse, following in the footsteps of her mother, Ona Decker. Ona served the Cashmere community for many years at the Cashmere Medical Center for Dr. Connor and Dr. Meyer. In 1964, Nursing School Director Mary Murphy appointed Donna as the first pediatric nurse in the Wenatchee Valley in the new department at Deaconess Hospital. Within a year, she was promoted to House Supervisor and later, continued to serve in that capacity at Central Washington Hospital. In Cashmere, on June 5, 1965, she married the love of her life, Michael Timpe, and they spent 43 years together. He was her caregiver at her side, at their home for the last 11 years. During her 39 years of service to the community, she saved many lives during medical and trauma emergencies, involving strangers as well as friends. She was instrumental in designing C.W.H. hospital triage protocols and ended up actually using them herself to manage casualties during Wenatchee's Appleyard Explosion in 1974. In 1990, Governor Booth Gardner appointed her as a Founding Member of the EMS Trauma Care Steering Committee for Washington State. She served for three Washington State Governors' administrations on that commission, until her retirement in 1998. She also received a commendation from C.W.H. for her work towards Central Washington Hospital's Level II Trauma Center designation. In addition, she was a founding member and chairman of the emergency services committee that brought 911 service to the residents of North Central Washington, which eventually became Rivercom. She was also a certified CPR-Instructor-Trainer for the American Heart Association and gave many health care providers in North Central Washington their first-ever CPR class. Donna's enthusiasm for caring for others was itself infectious. She made a special effort during her shifts at the hospital to stop in and visit with many patients. She spent time away from the hospital with acquaintances and friends suffering from cancer, heart problems, severe injuries, illness and lost loved ones, and assisted and counseled them as much as possible. Her favorite pastime was to run 911 calls with her close friends in the Ballard family and Ballard Ambulance crew members. She was a Critical Care Transport Nurse on Washington State's first Mobile Intensive Care Unit there. She enjoyed gardening extensively and spending time on Lake Chelan's Manson Bay, at their house, with her husband, Mike and her two children, Doug and Michelle; and the family of her brother, Everett (Shirley) Decker; and her brothers- and sisters-in-law and their families: Zeke (Laurie) Reister, Julie Reister (Kim) Keaton, Jean Reister, Paula (Donald) Eismann and Steve (Vicki) Reister. She also spent time with her beautiful grandchildren, Michael, 21; Tony, 19; Jason, 15; Justin, 8; and Arianna, 5. In 1995, she retired from the hospital due to her disability resulting from Reflexive Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), a rare and difficult syndrome. She continued to stay in touch with her close friends from Central Washington Hospital. She also became an avid player of puzzle-based video games, becoming an expert on her SEGA Game Gear and on her Xbox with Tetris.
She was eternally grateful to friends Shawn and Julie Ballard for being directly responsible for saving her life—twice—in their providing of rapid emergency care during her illness. She was also very grateful to her caregivers, Dr. Peter Bauer and Ron Byquist; and Shirley Decker, Sandy Riggleman, Donna Scott, Tammy Blaisdell and Kari Cooper, for their hard work and dedication in her last year and for easing her insurmountable pain.
She was preceded in death by her father, Clyde Decker, in 1985; her mother, Ona, in 1995, with whom she rode to the hospital in the ambulance, providing treatment; her father- and mother-in-law, Paul and Jane Reister; and her beloved sister-in-law, Pat (Honeysett) Decker.
A 90-minute Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, April 4, 2009, at the Wenatchee Convention Center at 1:30 p.m. in the South Ballroom. Dress is casual. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in her name to the Central Washington Hospital Foundation.
She was eternally grateful to friends Shawn and Julie Ballard for being directly responsible for saving her life—twice—in their providing of rapid emergency care during her illness. She was also very grateful to her caregivers, Dr. Peter Bauer and Ron Byquist; and Shirley Decker, Sandy Riggleman, Donna Scott, Tammy Blaisdell and Kari Cooper, for their hard work and dedication in her last year and for easing her insurmountable pain.
She was preceded in death by her father, Clyde Decker, in 1985; her mother, Ona, in 1995, with whom she rode to the hospital in the ambulance, providing treatment; her father- and mother-in-law, Paul and Jane Reister; and her beloved sister-in-law, Pat (Honeysett) Decker.
A 90-minute Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, April 4, 2009, at the Wenatchee Convention Center at 1:30 p.m. in the South Ballroom. Dress is casual. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in her name to the Central Washington Hospital Foundation.
Born to Clyde and Ona Decker in the midst of World War II on July 25, 1942, Donna Lea Decker attended Cashmere High School and graduated in 1960. During that time, she participated in the Cashmere High School Marching Band and Rainbow Girls. In 1960, she attended the Deaconess School of Nursing in Wenatchee. She graduated in 1963, as a second-generation Registered Nurse, following in the footsteps of her mother, Ona Decker. Ona served the Cashmere community for many years at the Cashmere Medical Center for Dr. Connor and Dr. Meyer. In 1964, Nursing School Director Mary Murphy appointed Donna as the first pediatric nurse in the Wenatchee Valley in the new department at Deaconess Hospital. Within a year, she was promoted to House Supervisor and later, continued to serve in that capacity at Central Washington Hospital. In Cashmere, on June 5, 1965, she married the love of her life, Michael Timpe, and they spent 43 years together. He was her caregiver at her side, at their home for the last 11 years. During her 39 years of service to the community, she saved many lives during medical and trauma emergencies, involving strangers as well as friends. She was instrumental in designing C.W.H. hospital triage protocols and ended up actually using them herself to manage casualties during Wenatchee's Appleyard Explosion in 1974. In 1990, Governor Booth Gardner appointed her as a Founding Member of the EMS Trauma Care Steering Committee for Washington State. She served for three Washington State Governors' administrations on that commission, until her retirement in 1998. She also received a commendation from C.W.H. for her work towards Central Washington Hospital's Level II Trauma Center designation. In addition, she was a founding member and chairman of the emergency services committee that brought 911 service to the residents of North Central Washington, which eventually became Rivercom. She was also a certified CPR-Instructor-Trainer for the American Heart Association and gave many health care providers in North Central Washington their first-ever CPR class. Donna's enthusiasm for caring for others was itself infectious. She made a special effort during her shifts at the hospital to stop in and visit with many patients. She spent time away from the hospital with acquaintances and friends suffering from cancer, heart problems, severe injuries, illness and lost loved ones, and assisted and counseled them as much as possible. Her favorite pastime was to run 911 calls with her close friends in the Ballard family and Ballard Ambulance crew members. She was a Critical Care Transport Nurse on Washington State's first Mobile Intensive Care Unit there. She enjoyed gardening extensively and spending time on Lake Chelan's Manson Bay, at their house, with her husband, Mike and her two children, Doug and Michelle; and the family of her brother, Everett (Shirley) Decker; and her brothers- and sisters-in-law and their families: Zeke (Laurie) Reister, Julie Reister (Kim) Keaton, Jean Reister, Paula (Donald) Eismann and Steve (Vicki) Reister. She also spent time with her beautiful grandchildren, Michael, 21; Tony, 19; Jason, 15; Justin, 8; and Arianna, 5. In 1995, she retired from the hospital due to her disability resulting from Reflexive Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), a rare and difficult syndrome. She continued to stay in touch with her close friends from Central Washington Hospital. She also became an avid player of puzzle-based video games, becoming an expert on her SEGA Game Gear and on her Xbox with Tetris.
She was eternally grateful to friends Shawn and Julie Ballard for being directly responsible for saving her life—twice—in their providing of rapid emergency care during her illness. She was also very grateful to her caregivers, Dr. Peter Bauer and Ron Byquist; and Shirley Decker, Sandy Riggleman, Donna Scott, Tammy Blaisdell and Kari Cooper, for their hard work and dedication in her last year and for easing her insurmountable pain.
She was preceded in death by her father, Clyde Decker, in 1985; her mother, Ona, in 1995, with whom she rode to the hospital in the ambulance, providing treatment; her father- and mother-in-law, Paul and Jane Reister; and her beloved sister-in-law, Pat (Honeysett) Decker.
A 90-minute Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, April 4, 2009, at the Wenatchee Convention Center at 1:30 p.m. in the South Ballroom. Dress is casual. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in her name to the Central Washington Hospital Foundation.
She was eternally grateful to friends Shawn and Julie Ballard for being directly responsible for saving her life—twice—in their providing of rapid emergency care during her illness. She was also very grateful to her caregivers, Dr. Peter Bauer and Ron Byquist; and Shirley Decker, Sandy Riggleman, Donna Scott, Tammy Blaisdell and Kari Cooper, for their hard work and dedication in her last year and for easing her insurmountable pain.
She was preceded in death by her father, Clyde Decker, in 1985; her mother, Ona, in 1995, with whom she rode to the hospital in the ambulance, providing treatment; her father- and mother-in-law, Paul and Jane Reister; and her beloved sister-in-law, Pat (Honeysett) Decker.
A 90-minute Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, April 4, 2009, at the Wenatchee Convention Center at 1:30 p.m. in the South Ballroom. Dress is casual. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in her name to the Central Washington Hospital Foundation.
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