Dr. Henry Dekker went home to be with the Lord this morning June 13, 2013, in Malabar, Fla. He served as a member of the board of trustees at Reformed Theological Seminary for 39 years, retiring from the board in October 2011, whereby he was given emeritus status at his request on the RTS Board of Trustees.
The consummate optimist, he always had an encouraging word for everyone he met. He loved our students, our faculty and staff, and he will be greatly missed as part of the seminary community.
After studying at the Free University of Amsterdam in The Netherlands, Dr. Dekker began his career at the Westinghouse Corporation. After rising to national director of development at Westinghouse, Dr. Dekker left in 1970 to found Mitsubishi Electric along with six colleagues. In 21 years with Mitsubishi Electric, Dr. Dekker and his group built a company that had annual revenues of just over three billion dollars when he decided to take early retirement.
Following his retirement from Mitsubishi Dr. Dekker served as a consultant to businesses and organizations, assisting them in hiring the correct individuals for key positions. He was a charter member of The American Association of Christian Counselors, an organization with over 55,000 members, where he donated his time to counsel married couples, individuals and students, providing his expertise to help develop career profiles to fit their needs.
A memorial service is planned at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 720 Emerson Dr. NE, Palm Bay, FL 32907, on June 29 at 11:00 a.m. He leaves behind his wife Alice, four children and nine grandchildren.