Marjorie Ann “Jeri” Dekker was born to Bill and Eva (Jones) Butts on Nov. 11, 1936, in Omaha. She passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family on June 2, 2022, at Country House Residence in Elkhorn.
Jeri grew up in Bellevue, and graduated from Bellevue High School in 1955. On Dec. 30, 1957, she married John Dekker. The couple moved to San Antonio, Texas in January of 1958, where John was stationed in the U.S. Army, before moving back to Bellevue in 1959. In 1968 Jeri and John made their long-time home in Lyons.
While living in Lyons, Jeri was a stay-at-home mom until her children were grown. She then worked at the Lyons Public School serving the school in different capacities including teacher’s aide and assistant to many guidance counselors. She was adored by the students and always thought of them as her kids. Jeri retired from the school in 1997.
Jeri was a devout Christian and she and John raised their family accordingly. She was a member of the Memorial United Methodist Church in Lyons and served the church in different roles over the years, including singing in the choir, serving on the Funeral Committee and taking care of the weekly collection. She also spent countless hot summer days working in the Methodist Kitchen at the Burt County Fair and loved (almost) every minute of it! Jeri and John were awarded the Aksarben Good Neighbor of the Year Award.
Jeri was an avid sports fan. She loved to watch sports of any kind, from pee wee baseball to NFL football and everything in between. Her favorite teams included the Husker football team and the Creighton basketball teams, but if you’d ask her who she wanted to win, the answer was usually “whoever has the highest score”. Her favorite sport of all was anything that her grandchildren were participating in. If one of the grandkids was competing, you would often see her on the sidelines, in the bleachers or in the audience cheering them on with an enthusiasm only a Nana can have. She and John raised their family well and they meant everything to her.
Jeri was preceded in death by her husband, John in April of 2015; parents; parents-in-law, Fred and Helen Dekker; twin sister, Mary Ellen Valenziano; brother, Steve Butts; sisters-in-law, Vera Jane Johansen and Delores Dekker; brothers-in-law, Robert Dekker, Dave Dekker and Floyd Johansen.
Jeri is survived and will be dearly missed by sons and daughters-in-law, Doug and Cherie Dekker of Papillion, Mark and Shawn Dekker of Elkhorn; daughter and son-in-law, Jane and Steve Weiler of West Point; grandchildren and spouses, Joe and Tressa Dekker, Christopher and Mallory Dekker, Michael and Tarassa Dekker, Jennifer Dekker, Katelyn and Luke Stamp, Zachary and Lisa Weiler, Jenica and John Dietrich, Kara and Josh Perchal, Anna and Travette Dennis; 19 great-grandchildren (one of which shares her birthday and another one due in November 2022); sisters and brothers and their spouses, Richard and Barbara Butts, Lucia and Louie Martinez, James and Liz Butts, Jean and Charles Heider, Bill and Lisa Butts and Ted and Jody Butts; brother-in-law, Joel Valenziano; sisters-in-law, Gloria Butts and Nancy Dekker; many nieces, nephews and friends.
Funeral service, Tuesday, June 7, 2022, 10:30 a.m., at Memorial United Methodist Church in Lyons.
Visitation, Monday, 5 to 7 p.m., Prayer service, 7 p.m. all at Pelan Funeral Services in Lyons.
Burial, Tuesday, 2 p.m., St. Michael’s Cemetery, West Point, Nebraska
Memorials directed to Memorial United Methodist Church of Lyons, Lyons Community Foundation, Lyons Public Library
Arrangements by Pelan Funeral Services Lyons. www.pelanfuneralservices.com
