Norfolk Judge Peter Decker Jr Dies

NORFOLK

Peter G. Decker Jr., the flamboyant attorney and judge and powerful political figure who helped revive downtown Norfolk, gave the city its iconic mermaid symbol and raised tens of millions of dollars for charity, died at age 76 today after a four-year fight against cancer.

Nicknamed “Uncle Pete” for the paternalistic way he helped friends and acquaintances, Decker rose from poverty to become a multimillionaire. He owned dozens of buildings in the region, including the historical downtown tower on Main Street where the law firm he founded in 1961 still operates.

Political and business leaders from across the region, including Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms and Old Dominion University President John Broderick, said they consulted with Decker on development, legal and political decisions. He was a behind-the-scenes peacemaker who often worked the phones to smooth over political battles before they became public.

Even as he was battling cancer, Decker remained influential – Inside Business rated him the 17th-most powerful person in the region last year. Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim, who will eulogize Decker at a memorial service, said he’s sure his words won’t be adequate.

“He’s one of the kindest, most remarkable men I’ve ever known,” Fraim said. “He’s been there for so many people. There is not another Uncle Pete. There is nobody who can step into that vacuum. 

The memorial service will be held Monday, Feb. 6, at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott Hotel at 2:30 p.m., said Peter Decker III this morning. It will be open to the public. 

Born in 1935, Decker, a Norfolk native and Maury High graduate, was a benefactor of many local charities, from Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters to Catholic charities and local arts organizations. Each year, he hosted a day of fun at Nauticus for hundreds of Norfolk schoolchildren, called “Pete’s Kids,” who had improved their grades.

He was perhaps even more generous with his time, helping hundreds of people find jobs, fix marital problems and solve financial issues. Federal Judge Robert G. Doumar, who grew up with Decker, said, “Peter could never say no. He’s the most generous person I’ve known.

“People would go to see him all the time seeking his help, sometimes with finding work. Often, he would call a businessman and say, ‘Can you help this guy?’ Generally, people would help someone if Pete asked them to.”

Martin Thomas Sr., who heads The Decker Law Firm, worked with Decker since graduating from the University of Virginia law school in 1979.

“People on the outside saw only some of what Peter did to help people,” he said. “Only people on the inside saw the hundreds and hundreds of people he helped very quietly.”

Bobby Ross, Decker’s legal administrator, said he was surprised when he came to work for Decker in 1991 that people would walk in off the street looking for handouts.

“Mr. Decker was always coming down to my office and asking me to write a check,” he said. “He just couldn’t say no to somebody, especially if they were in need.”

in 1995, Decker became a substitute general district court judge in Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake.

Decker was married to the former Bess Kolantis for nearly 50 years. Decker met her at a dance at Norfolk’s Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in 1961. Although he was on a date with his then-girlfriend, he was smitten and asked Bess to dance.

They kept their romance a secret for months because he was of Lebanese descent and she was Greek, and at the time the two groups rarely intermarried.

But nine months after meeting, they were married.

They had three sons, Peter III, who works at Decker’s law firm; Paul, who owns Decker Construction and maintains much of his father’s property; and Phillip, who owns D’egg Diner, where his father ate lunch downtown nearly every day. Decker is also survived by seven grandchildren.

Norfolk Sheriff Robert McCabe, with whom Decker shared a luxury suite at Old Dominion University football games, recalls being asked to meet Decker in his office in December. McCabe is going through some difficult personal problems and Decker wanted to know if he was OK.

“He had just come back from being treated and was wracked with pain,” McCabe said. “And he said he wanted to know what he could do to help me. I just started crying. It shows how much he cared about people.”