Stephen A. Decter, 80, died on September 5, 2017, in Capital Health Regional Medical Center after suffering a sudden hemorrhagic stroke. He was born in Newark, New Jersey, on June 21, 1937, the son of Rose Jacobson Decter and Harry Decter.
Steve was a lifelong resident of New Jersey, growing up in Maplewood, attending Columbia High School. He received his A.B. from Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs in 1959; and an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania in 1962.
Steve moved to West Windsor Township in 1977. He became involved in local politics as a Democrat and was twice elected to the Township Committee from 1983 to 1988. He served as Mayor in 1987. During his time on the Township Committee, he focused on planning and development issues as the Township was undergoing rapid growth. He championed the expansion of Township services to accommodate a growing population; including the building of a new senior center, establishing a central community park, and zoning for a variety of housing. After leaving the Committee, he continued in Township service as an advocate for a workable affordable housing plan and chaired the Growth Management Study Committee.
Steve served as an academic administrator and researcher at Rutgers University in New Brunswick for 31 years. At his retirement in 1999, he was the Senior Associate Director of the Ecopolicy Center of Cook College and the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. Previously, he was a research associate at the University’s Center for Government Studies, formerly the Bureau of Government Research.
His research interests encompassed many areas including agricultural policy, environment and natural resource policy, land use planning and management; housing and affordable housing policy; regional planning and development, especially the Hackensack Meadowlands Development & Redevelopment Act.
Steve developed and taught courses in the Rutgers departments of Environmental Resources, Ecology Evolution and Natural Resources, and Political Science. He served as a consultant to New Jersey State government departments of Agriculture, Environmental Protection, Community Affairs, and the State Legislature, as well as to county and municipal governments.
Steve found true pleasure in physical activity. He enjoyed a vigorous game of tennis anytime. He swam miles, bicycled, ran, and in recent years took many active-adventure vacations to national parks, New England, California, Europe, and Belize.
His home was part of a special community. Glen Acres was established in 1958 as a deliberately integrated neighborhood, allowing African American families to purchase homes during the era of red-lining, and residents still share a special bond of caring and support for each other as many still reside in their original homes. He was a regular host of the many parties and picnics and helped organize special events such as the 40th and 50th anniversary celebrations. His neighbors remember him as a generous and caring person interested in them, their children, and grandchildren.
Steve never married. He was predeceased by his brother Philip and his nephew Andrew, and is survived by his sister-in-law Alice, his niece Lori Yaspan and husband Richard, and four grand nieces and nephews. He is remembered fondly by his longtime friend and travel companion Susan Stanbury.
Per his wishes Steve was cremated under the direction of the Kimble Funeral Home.
Steve’s life will be celebrated with a memorial service and reception on Sunday, November 19 at 2:00 PM at Palmer House, 1 Bayard Lane, Princeton, at the corner of Route 206 and Nassau Street.
Contributions in his name may be made to the ALS Association in memory of Andy Decter at www.alsa.org.
