Vive la Vida!

Craig Decker is one of my best friends. It is difficult to know what to say given the many memories I have of him. I will never forget him nor the good times we had together. We could talk about anything and I always enjoyed being able to exchange insights and ideas with him. It still seems unreal that I can’t just call him up and ask him what it’s like on the other side. I’m sure he has some pretty good jokes that he’s looking forward to telling me and I have some for him too. I look forward to being able to hang out with him again someday.




On my birthday this past year (February 19, 2008) Craig made me a birthday card that included a long list of things we did or inside jokes we had. I saved the card and I wish to share it with all of you. I know you won’t understand everything on the card, but I thought it would help to illustrate the type of person that Craig was. I’d like to share a few of the memories from this card:

“Magic in the Kitchen” refers to a time when we taught a cooking class at Macey’s grocery store. Craig taught many of these classes and it just so happened that one time he roped me into doing one with him. It was a lot of fun. Craig posed as a magician and I got to be his lovely assistant. Not only did Craig work his magic to make delicious food, but he also performed many mystifying tricks throughout the class.

“Jello Surprise” refers to a special Jello dessert we invented one Super Bowl Sunday. It is made with Jello, Mountain Dew, Pop Rocks, and a few other secret ingredients. Whenever girls invited us over for dinner we would make it as a dessert. We thought it was amazing, but no one else really seemed to enjoy it as much as we did. I still think that Craig and I must just have an extra refined sense of taste. There is no other explanation.

“Two trees and a hammock” refers to a Halloween costume we came up with one year. We wore brown pants and green shirts, dyed our hair green, and made crowns out of branches and leaves. We then tied a hammock between us. That way we looked like two trees and a hammock! We had a blast party hopping that night. I think we went to seven different Halloween parties that night. We let people sit in our hammock and we’d give them a little ride.

“Just Married at IN-N-OUT” has to be my favorite. Craig and I have another best friend named Mark Hendricks. He got married a few years ago to a girl from Arizona. As his best men, Craig and I went down for the wedding. The whole trip was a blast. It was great for the three of us to be able to spend time together before Mark went off to marriage land. Since Mark and his wife were flying out to Lake Tahoe for their honeymoon, they didn’t have a car. Mark asked Craig and I to chauffeur them to the hotel in Craig’s little green car following the reception. We decorate the car so it would be appropriate for the wedding drive, and after the reception we had a nice little drive together. Now Craig and I both love In-n-Out burger and since we are both Utah boys we rarely get to eat it. After dropping the lovers off at the hotel we headed straight for the nearest In-n-Out. The place was packed in the way that only an In-n-Out burger can be. As we got out of the car we noticed many people pointing at us and laughing, others had a look shock or horror on their faces, and some even offered their congratulations. We then realized how we looked--the two of us, both wearing tuxedos, just emerged from a car with a big “Just Married” on the back. We laughed for a long time about that.

I am going to miss Craig. A guy couldn’t have asked for a better friend. I hope we can all remember him and the great life he lived. Craig wasn’t perfect. He had many faults. We all do. But even so, he was a great example. The way he never gave up when he fell was something that made him so admirable. He always chose to look at the bright side of things. He chose to be happy. We can’t always choose our circumstances, but we can choose how we will respond to them. No one understood that better than Craig.

I pray for peace to be with each of you during this difficult time. Know that God lives and that his Son Jesus Christ is our Savior. As long as we trust in them, we have nothing to fear. Each one of us can look forward to many more great times with our beloved friend and brother, Craig Decker. Until then, goodbye my friend.

--Abe Niederhauser