Stump removal

I had to cut down a large maple tree that had begun to menace the house. One of the concerns was how it began raising the ground surrounding it; I'd estimate it to be fifteen feet in diameter. The stump itself is two feet in diameter.

Have you any good ways to eliminate this stump, short of calling for a stump removal service? My wife said she would be happy if the stump was gone by this fall.

Can I expect this pimple in the yard--the unexposed section-- to slowly decompose?