Obituary for Kimmey C. Decker (Carnell)
Slingerlands – Kimmey (Carnell) Decker, 86, passed away peacefully at home Sunday evening, September 18, 2022, with her beloved family by her side. Born in Albany September 1, 1936, she was the daughter of the late Prentiss Jr. and Ruth (Kimmey) Carnell.
She is a 1954 alumna of the Albany Academy for Girls, attended Wells College and graduated from Empire State College in 1982, proudly completing her degree the same year as her eldest child. In 1972 Kimmey was a founding member of the Riverside Volunteer Ambulance Squad and later went on to become Chief. She worked as the EMS Coordinator for Medico, and a practical test examiner for the Regional Emergency Medical Organization. Kimmey utilized these skills as a volunteer at the Lake Placid 1980 Olympics EMS operations.
Kimmey was a member of the Junior League of Albany, as was her mother, her grandmother, and her daughters. She tirelessly volunteered at Junior League projects run by her daughters, including the Komen Race for the Cure and the founding of Gilda’s Club. Kimmey faithfully attended many events and fundraisers for her beloved Albany Academy for Girls. She volunteered for Community Hospice for over twenty years, and spent many hours sorting donations to the thrift shop at St. Andrew’s Church in Albany.
Kimmey was known for her love of animals, sense of humor, endless generosity, and her ability to test speed limits. She created antique-filled homes in Menands, Slingerlands, and Saranac Lake. She spent beloved summers at her family’s Camp of the Owls on Lake Placid, and enjoyed years in Middleburgh where she and Charlie raised Morgan horses, Basset Hounds, and dealt in antiques including her lifelong passion for Tea Leaf Ironstone China.
Kimmey is survived by her four children; Ann MacAffer (Leonard Wescott) of Slingerlands, John (Pamela) MacAffer of Slingerlands, Bruce MacAffer of Manhattan, and Jean MacAffer of Albany, her grandchildren; Zachary, Alexandra, and Samantha MacAffer, her brother, Prentiss Carnell III, stepdaughters Donna (Tom) Kane and Judy (Dominick) Genovese and their families, and by an uncle, cousins, nieces, and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband Charles S. Decker, stepson James E. Decker, and Duncan S. MacAffer, father of her children.
A memorial service will be held at Bowen and Parker Bros. Funeral Home on Saturday, October 1, 2022 at 12 PM. All are invited to visit with Kimmey’s family before the service, from 10 AM to 12 PM. A private interment will take place in the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in Kimmey’s memory can be made to the Junior League of Albany, P.O. Box 5533, Albany, NY 12205 or to the Albany Academy for Girls, 135 Academy Rd, Albany, NY 12208.
She is a 1954 alumna of the Albany Academy for Girls, attended Wells College and graduated from Empire State College in 1982, proudly completing her degree the same year as her eldest child. In 1972 Kimmey was a founding member of the Riverside Volunteer Ambulance Squad and later went on to become Chief. She worked as the EMS Coordinator for Medico, and a practical test examiner for the Regional Emergency Medical Organization. Kimmey utilized these skills as a volunteer at the Lake Placid 1980 Olympics EMS operations.
Kimmey was a member of the Junior League of Albany, as was her mother, her grandmother, and her daughters. She tirelessly volunteered at Junior League projects run by her daughters, including the Komen Race for the Cure and the founding of Gilda’s Club. Kimmey faithfully attended many events and fundraisers for her beloved Albany Academy for Girls. She volunteered for Community Hospice for over twenty years, and spent many hours sorting donations to the thrift shop at St. Andrew’s Church in Albany.
Kimmey was known for her love of animals, sense of humor, endless generosity, and her ability to test speed limits. She created antique-filled homes in Menands, Slingerlands, and Saranac Lake. She spent beloved summers at her family’s Camp of the Owls on Lake Placid, and enjoyed years in Middleburgh where she and Charlie raised Morgan horses, Basset Hounds, and dealt in antiques including her lifelong passion for Tea Leaf Ironstone China.
Kimmey is survived by her four children; Ann MacAffer (Leonard Wescott) of Slingerlands, John (Pamela) MacAffer of Slingerlands, Bruce MacAffer of Manhattan, and Jean MacAffer of Albany, her grandchildren; Zachary, Alexandra, and Samantha MacAffer, her brother, Prentiss Carnell III, stepdaughters Donna (Tom) Kane and Judy (Dominick) Genovese and their families, and by an uncle, cousins, nieces, and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband Charles S. Decker, stepson James E. Decker, and Duncan S. MacAffer, father of her children.
A memorial service will be held at Bowen and Parker Bros. Funeral Home on Saturday, October 1, 2022 at 12 PM. All are invited to visit with Kimmey’s family before the service, from 10 AM to 12 PM. A private interment will take place in the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in Kimmey’s memory can be made to the Junior League of Albany, P.O. Box 5533, Albany, NY 12205 or to the Albany Academy for Girls, 135 Academy Rd, Albany, NY 12208.