Albert D. Decuypere

Albert David DeCuypere was born in Millington, Michigan on September 27th, 1933 to David DeCuypere and Essie (née Jarvis) and had two brothers named Jack and Wesley and a sister named Toni. As a teenager, Al was raised by his beloved Uncle Wes and Aunt Leona Diehl on their farm and was brought up in the Lutheran church. He enjoyed spending time outdoors at a young age. Many four-leaf clovers were recently found in his early childhood books. History was a passion for him, and he collected coins and arrowheads.

In high school, Al wrestled and played guard on the football team. He graduated from Davison High School in June of 1952 and joined the Army in 1954 and was attached to the 82nd Airborne out of Fort Bragg. In the summer of 1955, he went on a blind date that would change his life forever. During his military service, he and Mary Ellen Mayer exchanged letters and a week after he returned, they were married. Their wedding took place on January 29th, 1956 in Corunna, Michigan where her family had a candy store (Martha Mayer’s Candies). They were both 22-years old.

They moved to Cincinnati, Ohio in the 1970s. Mary Ellen kept him well-fed with decadent turkey dinners, molasses cookies, and sometimes the venison he would bring home though his three daughters were not fans. Above all, Al believed in hard work. He was employed at GM as a "factory worker" and eventually as a foreman. He retired from GM in 1978.

Albert was also Daddy and Grandpa. That unmistakable smell of tobacco, Aramis, and Old English will be missed by all. He was clever, gruff, calm, level-headed, and rational. To him, life was very simple. You did something or you didn’t do something. If you wanted anything, you worked for it. He was a formidable man (diving into a pool at age 80) with a life-long crew cut and a tough exterior. Despite all this, he could be soft, especially after becoming a grandfather. His granddaughters have fond memories of making birdhouses, and trips to museums and Mackinac Island.

Albert and Mary Ellen had a love that doesn’t come along very often. Over the past decade, they talked a lot about how lucky they were to have had such a wonderful life together. The devoted couple continued gifting one another valentines and cards for holidays. As she cooked, Al would flutter around her and sing, sugar in the morning, sugar in the evening, sugar at suppertime...before she playfully told him to get out of her kitchen. They lived in Mio, Michigan for the last 30 years and treasured everything about their home and the town. Each morning they put out peanuts and corn for the squirrels and blue jays. They made frequent trips to Turtle Creek Casino and Al spent much of his time hunting and fishing. He had a workshop in the garage where he built canoes, birdhouses, windmills, and tinkered with fishing equipment. Down in the basement, his last project was found: two broken flashlights he wanted to fix.

Albert died in his home on December 1st, 2019. He is survived by his "sweetie" and wife of 63 years, Mary Ellen, as well as Cynthia Harrod, Karen DeCuypere, Amy DeCuypere, Nicolina Torres, Dominique Pickeral, Kristy Murchek, Tyler Byrd, Sean Byrd, and many great-grandchildren. True to form, Al did not want a funeral or service. He is buried in West Haven Cemetery in Shiawassee County, Michigan.