Obituary of Tina Decker

DOB 09/03/1945 DOD 06/28/2025 Written and provided by the family. It is with profound sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Ernestina (Tina)Decker, who passed peacefully surrounded by her loved ones on June 28, 2025, at the age of 79. Tina was born to Gregorio and Maria Esparza on September 3, 1945, in Harlingen, Texas, and was the fourth of their twelve children. The Esparza family worked as migrant farm workers as they made their way to Washington state, settling in Moses Lake, and eventually moving to Othello, where Tina graduated from high school in 1964 and lived most of her adult life. Tina married David (Dave) Walter Sielaff in December 1964, welcoming Melissa in August 1966 and Karla in December 1972. Dave tragically lost his life in an auto accident in June 1980. Dave’s death affected Tina deeply as she navigated life as a single mother. Tina married Duane Decker (Decker) in 1991. Decker later lost his battle with COPD, leaving Tina widowed once again. Tina eventually met and fell in love with Alan Bartelheimer, who grounded Tina and helped her become what her brothers playfully dubbed “The Dairy Queen”. Tina and Alan loved their Friday night dinners with family and friends, regularly celebrating birthdays and holidays with their loved ones. Tina typically knew everyone in the room and often stopped to catch up with others throughout their evenings out. Tina and Alan became fixtures at community events, celebrating milestones and supporting worthy causes. Tina was a force of nature, and a self-declared Queen of many things – dairy, laundry, the family, but was mainly the Queen of all our hearts. Charismatic, confident, and always the life of the party. Her beautiful smile, the signature streak of white in her dark hair, and infectious laugh made her instantly unforgettable. She tackled every day with purpose and boundless energy, fitting more into 24 hours than possible. Tina had a youthful spark that never faded, and loved it when people found out her age and reacted with disbelief. She never tired of hearing someone say, “What? No way you can be 70-something, you look so much younger!” In the infrequent downtime that Tina allowed herself, she loved to watch her Judy(Judge Judy), read mystery romance novels, and knit her famous dishcloths, hats, and baby blankets. She was an active member of the Mid-Columbia Dairy Women’s group. She enjoyed delivering baskets to the first babies born in June (dairy month) at the Othello Community Hospital and Samaritan Hospital in Moses Lake. She was also a proud member of the local Buddy Andrews Guild, which supports the Seattle Children’s Hospital. She enjoyed selling her dishcloths and hats at the holiday bazaar and upselling raffle tickets during their annual fundraiser. Tina touched countless lives, whether you knew her from “back in the day”, were one of her little boys or little girls from Hiawatha, a member of the dairy community, met her in passing, or were lucky enough to be her friend – Tina never met a stranger. The best place to be was on Tina’s good side. Tina grew up with an appreciation of hard work and continued to work at the dairy alongside Alan after she retired from the Othello School District in May 2002. She would playfully declare to vendors that she was “The Decoration” while spending countless hours running errands, translating, signing checks, maintaining cow records, and recording information on her beloved cow cards. Tina loved her family fiercely and was a proud mother, grandma, great-grandma, sister, and aunt. She was often asked how she felt about becoming a great-grandmother, and Tina would respond in her typical way, that she’s always been great, which we all knew to be true. She is survived by her loving partner, Alan Bartelheimer; her daughters Melissa Randolph and Karla (Thomas True) Sielaff-True; her granddaughters, Rachel Randolph and Audrey (Abbi Smith) Randolph; her great grandchildren Hudson Snyder, Easton Smith, and Emberley Smith; her sisters - Lidia Lopez, Opie Walker, Delia Cantu, Elvia Perez, Ninfa Hilmes; and brothers Gregorio Esparza, George Esparza, Arturo Esparza, Geronimo Esparza, and David Esparza, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Tina was preceded in death by her husbands, David Sielaff and Duane Decker; her parents, Gregorio and Maria Esparza; her sister Armandina Garcia; her son-in-law, Billy Don Randolph; and grandson Kyle Randolph. Tina’s legacy of kindness, enthusiasm, and hard work will live on in the countless lives she touched. To ensure those who wish to say goodbye can do so, a viewing will be held at Steven’s Funeral Home in Othello on Thursday, July 10, from 3:00 pm – 8:00pm. Tina wanted to be celebrated rather than mourned. She hoped those who knew her would come together and share memories, laughter, and maybe a few stories she’d pretend to be embarrassed about. We thought she’d outlive us all; her energy made it easy to forget that she was a mere mortal. Tina’s vibrant life will be celebrated on Friday, July 11, at The Othello First Presbyterian Church, 715 E Scootney Street, Othello, Washington, at 11:00am. If you have photos or a special memory you would like to share, please send them to share.your.memories.of.tina@gmail.com so that they can be added to the slide show and cherished by her family. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Seattle Children’s Hospital, the Othello Beautification Committee, or your favorite charity in Tina’s honor.