Shirley J. Slaughter, 73, of Mansfield, passed away after a short illness late Wednesday evening, May 9, 2018, at Lexington Court Care Center.
She was born Jan. 5, 1945, in Bucyrus, Ohio, to the late Donald Eugene and Inez Marie (Brown) Knabenhans.
Shirley grew up in Bucyrus and graduated from Bucyrus High School. She attended Marion Beauty College and then became a full-time homemaker. Extremely selfless, Shirley adored her family and loved spoiling them with her delicious cooking. Her neighborhood also benefited from her cooking as she was always finding a reason to feed everyone.
Shirley enjoyed gardening and canning her fresh fruits and vegetables.
Steadfast and loving, Shirley was always available to others and gave unconditional love to everyone. Her sense of humor drew people to her. Once you met her, everyone always wanted to be her friend and stay in contact with Shirley. She was her grandchildren’s biggest fan and enjoyed all their sporting and school events. In her free time she enjoyed fishing and visiting with family and friends.
Shirley is survived by her loving husband of almost 50 years, James Slaughter; three wonderful children, Heather Leach (Jamie Pay), Ryan Slaughter and Adam (Lakeisha) Slaughter; 11 grandchildren, Cade Leach, Garret Leach, Jaymee Pay, Liberty Holsinger, Antonio Slaughter, Andre Slaughter, Evelyn Slaughter, Keaton Slaughter, Zion Corbin, Makayla Converse and Tony Converse; two great-grandchildren, Lincoln and Aydan; a sister, Linda Isaly-Hoffman; and a nephew, Kent (Erika) Isaly.
In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by a great-grandchild, Kenzlee Holsinger; brother, Donald Eugene Knabenhans; and brother-in-law, Ronald Hoffman.
A private celebration of Shirley’s life will be held at a later date. The Ontario Home of Wappner Funeral Directors is privileged to serve the family.
Words of comfort may be expressed to the family at www.wappner.com
