Paula Decker Everitt

Paula Decker Everitt, age 61, passed away on April 2, 2016. She had devoted her life to family, travel, compassion, and art. After a year’s struggle with a brain tumor, she died peacefully at home, surrounded by her loving family.
Born on July 19, 1954, in Sussex, N.J., to Chester E. Decker, Sr. and Madeline (Johnson) Decker, Paula spent her childhood in Sussex. For her senior year of high school she became an exchange student in Lund, Sweden, before attending Colgate University to study religion and philosophy. Paula attained a Masters of Divinity degree from Andover Newtown Theological seminary, was ordained in the United Church of Christ, and served as Associate Minister of the Hingham Congregational Church in Massachusetts.
After taking a professional break to focus on raising her 3 children, Paula subsequently became more focused on compassion and counseling. She received a MA degree in education and counselling from West Chester State University in Pennsylvania and served as a Guidance Counsellor at Great Valley High School in Paoli, Pa.
When the family moved to Cambridge, England, for 3 years, Paula poured her compassionate energies into her life-long love of art. After moving back to Berwyn, Pa., she earned a 4-year certificate in Fine Arts at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Paula was a professional artist for the last 10 years, working in oil colors and multimedia drawing. Her most recent art used abstract figure drawing to depict vulnerable people living with disease, war and/or poverty. This body of work, characterized as “raw and disturbing,” won numerous awards in juried art exhibitions.
Paula is survived by her husband, Daniel E. Everitt; her parents, Chester E. Decker, Sr. and Madeline Johnson Decker of Sussex; her son, Rory L. Everitt of Berkeley, Ca., her daughters, Dana P. Everitt and Morgan T. Everitt, both of New York, N.Y.; her sister, Christine Decker Henry of Wantage, and her brother, Chester Decker, Jr. of Wantage.
A private family graveside service was held on Wednesday, April 6, 2016 at Clove Cemetery, Sussex, N.J. A service of celebration of Paula’s life will be held at 2 p.m. on April 16, 2016, at the Newtown Presbyterian Church, 25 North Chancellor Street, Newtown, PA 18940. The family requests that memorial donations may be made to the VAD Foundation, www.vadfoundation.org which provides desperately-needed education to children in South Sudan.
Online condolences may be offered to the family at www.pinkelfuneralhome.com.