Arabella M. Decker

Arabella Mathilda Decker, 73, of Lake Wales, FL passed away peacefully on Tuesday, January 12, 2016, at her home. She was born on October 22, 1942, in Highland Park, Illinois, the daughter of O.P. and Alice Decker. Arabella loved art from a very early age. She enjoyed working in many different mediums from sculpture to paintings. According to Arabella, "In my artwork content and context are of equal importance. The medium is just the abstract matrix which is used to express a state of being by making a new reality that explores a visual, emotional, and intellectual possibility where nothing is sacred but all is honestly observed. The need to communicate with a viewer beyond this immediate present makes such an act of creation a leap of faith where I gamble that future viewers will experience from their own context some of that which I was attempting to distill.” Arabella moved to the San Francisco area shortly after graduating from high school, eventually settling in the area of Half Moon Bay, California. Arabella was actively involved in the community as a member of the Coastal Arts League Gallery and Museum. Arabella moved to her family home in Lake Wales, Florida in 2009. It was here that she developed a new passion for Caspian Horses. In 2011, she created the Elbruz Caspian Horses, Inc. foundation. The mission was to preserve and educate the public about the breed. She enjoyed spending many afternoons with the horses. Arabella was also a member of the Polk State College Foundation Board of Directors, and was actively involved with the Lake Wales Art Council. She enjoyed her community and did many things to support and educate its members. She is survived by her son, Paul G.E. Schomber of Longmont, CO; Lori, his wife, and her two grandchildren, Liberty and Cooper. Funeral services will be held Tuesday, January 19 at 4:00 p.m. at the Marion Nelson Funeral Home with Father Tom Seitz officiating. Following the service, a life celebration reception will be held at the Polk State Lake Wales Art Center.