Ofc. Decker's funeral at Rock Church

“I hope there is a Facebook in Heaven because you have a lot of reading to do.” Bobbi Decker Seed tearfully said those words… just one of many touching comments at the funeral services for her brother, Norfolk police officer Victor Decker.

Program from Ofc. Decker's funeral

It’s been a week now since someone found Officer Decker shot to death outside of his truck in Virginia Beach. I’m still thinking it’s a bad dream. If you didn’t know him personally like I did, you probably heard about how he was the ultimate “community cop”.

Ofc. Decker on bike patrol. Photo by David Beloff

Most of the time we saw him on his bicycle as he looked after residents, restaurant employees, business people, homeless people, students, and visitors to the downtown Norfolk/Freemason area he patrolled. Bottom line, he looked out for EVERYONE. He knew us, he listened to our stories, he gave us his cell phone number, and he answered our calls and texts.

Proud new papa!

He showed us pictures of his baby girl Charlotte and he beamed when he talked about his wife, Dawn.

Dawn & Victor, 2009

He earned a valor award for rushing to the scene of a shooting and stopping some bad guys before they could shoot anyone else. He never wanted to talk much about it and didn’t want the kudos. He said he was just doing his job.

Norfolk Police Officer Victor Decker

Police are working hard to figure out what happened to Victor and his family, friends and co-workers are anxiously awaiting answers. The reward for information has increased. Several fundraisers are being held to assist Dawn and Charlotte. One of the first was at 219 Bistro on Granby Street Monday.

I stopped in for lunch and dinner and it was packed full of people who had their own “Victor stories” to tell. Dawn was there with the baby at dinnertime and with so much strength and poise, she graciously thanked many of the folks for their generosity and support. The 219 raised over $10,000 which is important because Officer Decker’s death benefits have yet to be determined. Towne Bank is also taking donations in a special fund. A teller at the downtown branch told me folks have been coming in with checks and tearfully sharing their stories about Victor.

He was only 25 years old, but did more in that short time than many people have done in twice or three times that amount of time on earth.  I think his death will make a lot of folks pause and work on reaching out to others more, being nicer to people, taking the time to talk and listen, and of course- realize just how short life on this earth can be. Perhaps more folks will also remember to say thanks and tell others how much they appreciate their love and kindness. I’m certainly grateful for the smiles, hugs and conversations from Victor.  I’m glad he invited me to his baby shower and introduced me to his family and friends. The loss is evident along Granby Street. You can’t walk too many steps without seeing a memorial for him.

Ofc. Decker memorial wreath on Granby Street

His Facebook posts were funny and engaging. I’m sure people will continue to leave messages for him and look at his pictures. And again, as his sister Bobbi said at his funeral, “I hope there is a Facebook page in Heaven because you have a lot of reading to do!”