IN MEMORIAM
DR. NORMAN K. CARSTENS, ORTHODONTICS CLASS OF 1964
Dr. Norman K. Carstens died on July 16, 2016 at St. John Hospital & Medical Center in Detroit. He was 79.
Dr. Carstens was born in Moline, Ill. He received his DDS from the University of Detroit in 1960 and his MSD in 1964. He practiced orthodontics for 50 years in Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. He served two years in the U.S. Army Dental Corps with a general dental practice in Heidelberg, Germany, and attained the rank of captain.
He enjoyed sailing and horseback riding and was a member of various dental societies, the Grosse Pointe Hunt Club and Waterloo Hunt Club, the Grosse Pointe Sail Club and the Detroit Regional Yacht-Racing Association.
Dr. Carstens is survived by his wife, Linda; daughter Andrea; son Matthew (Melissa); two grandchildren; and a sister. (Tributes)
DR. DONOVAN J. DECKER, CLASS OF 1960, ORTHODONTICS CLASS OF 1964
Dr. Donovan John “Jay” Decker, MSD, passed away on Feb. 7, 2019. He was 83.
Decker was an affiliate professor in the School of Dentistry’s Department of Orthodontics. He proudly taught courses on orthodontic techniques and the biomechanics of tooth movement through 2018.
He was born on March 16, 1935 in Walla Walla, Wash., to Don and Ethel Decker. The family moved throughout the Midwest, as his father pursued teaching jobs in Clear Lake, Wis., and Osseo and St. Louis Park, Minn. Eventually they landed in Tukwila, Wash., where his father had risen to principal, but his son had his sights set on attending Roosevelt High School and lobbied the family to move once again. Dr. Decker flourished at Roosevelt. He was quarterback on the football team, ran track, and graduated in 1953.
He attended the UW, where he majored in physics and was a member of Phi Gamma Delta. One of his proudest achievements was rowing crew under legendary coaches Stan Pocock and Al Ulbrickson, which cemented the foundation of tenacity and precision that would guide his life. He attended the School of Dentistry, followed by two years of research in the Department of Biological Structure.
After graduating from the School’s orthodontic program in 1964, he started a private orthodontic practice in the Sand Point neighborhood and maintained it through 2007. He continued his UW research through the mid-1990s and wrote numerous peer-reviewed articles to that end.
Dr. Decker married Linda Kocher in 1964. While the marriage ended in divorce, he said his greatest source of pride was being a father to his son, Jay Jr., and daughter, Amy. For the past 28 years he was married to Cathy Decker, whose love he routinely described as a blessing and guiding light.
Dr. Decker had a way of putting smiles on faces. Not only did he straighten the teeth of thousands of Seattleites over more than 40 years as an orthodontist, he was also a compulsive teller of jokes and “relayer” of witticisms, leaving laughter in his wake wherever he went. He was an avid outdoorsman and spent many happy years teaching skiing at Alpental. He had a great passion for photography and studied with Ansel Adams and Johsel Namkung. He also loved golf, hiking, ski mountaineering, and weekly lunch dates with his son. His morning ritual included completing The New York Times’ KENKEN puzzle and frequent UW campus walks or climbing the Howe Street stairs with his beloved friend Dr. John Davis.
Dr. Decker is survived by his wife, Cathy; son Jay Jr. (Joan Suver); daughter Amy (Brian Strause); and stepson Jason Merryman, his wife, Christina Graham, and their two sons. (https://www.legacy.com)
DR. THOMAS H. MacGEORGE, CLASS OF 1954, ORTHODONTICS CLASS OF 1964
Dr. Thomas Hamilton MacGeorge passed away peacefully on March 4, 2018, surrounded by his family. He was 90.
Dr. MacGeorge was born on March 6, 1927 in Seattle to Margaret Agnes (Marriot) and Thomas Hamilton MacGeorge. Raised in North Seattle with his brother, Jim, young Thomas went to Ronald elementary school and attended Lincoln High School. In 1946, the brothers were members of the state championship basketball team. He continued his education at the UW, where he played football and, more importantly, met his future wife, Paula. The couple married on Sept. 9, 1950.
After his graduation from the School of Dentistry, the Air Force took the young couple to Clark Air Base in the Philippines. Upon returning home, he started his dental practice in Ballard. In 1964, he earned his specialty certification in orthodontics and in 1966 began his 26-year practice in Shoreline.
The couple raised their three children in North Seattle and were longtime members of Seattle Golf Club. Golf was a common theme for the family, as were summers at Fisherman’s Alibi on Whidbey Island, where the couple retired in 1992. Always the engineer with an inquisitive mind, Dr. MacGeorge was fond of fixing things, driving the backhoe, crabbing, keeping the soft ice cream machine full, and enjoying the island life with family and friends. He left a legacy that everyone close to him will strive to uphold.
Dr. MacGeorge is survived by daughter Pam Lee (Jim) of Everett, Wash.; sons Stephen (Lisa) of Shoreline and William (Linda) of Seattle; grandchildren Christine Cronin (Brian), Jamie MacGeorge Lee, Andrew, Christopher, and Elle MacGeorge, and Stuart and Nancy MacGeorge; great-grandchildren Kellen, Jack, and Anna Cronin; and brother, Jim, of Los Angeles. He was preceded in death by his wife, Paula. (Seattle Times)