James Richard Slater started life in Wasta, South Dakota on October 15, 1922. Being the second born to James Harold and Edith Marie (Hicks) Slater, Dick (as he was known all his life), shared a challenging early upbringing on his fathers' homestead, along with his older sister, Laura, and younger siblings, Jackie and Irene. Living in the Dakotas during this time was growing tougher and tougher, and when Dick was only three years old, the entire Slater Family set out on an epic journey to Puyallup, Washington as part of a small, three-wagon train with other neighbors. Those must have been exciting times as it took several months to accomplish the distance across three states. On arrival in Puyallup, the appearance of a covered wagon caused quite a stir! There was a festival going on at the time and the family was invited to join a scheduled parade, however the added commotion didn't sound too appealing to the weary Slaters. The family soon settled within the Manitou District of South Tacoma. It was in this neighborhood, two years later, that five year old Dick met Jesse (Jess) Green. Jess and Dick would maintain a comradeship that would span 85 years - filled with adventurous childhood, teen, and adult experiences. Jess's father, early on and after meeting Harold through Jess and Dick, introduced the Slater Family to the J. R. Watkins Company. This work alliance kept the two families close, sharing common bonds within several different cities and states within the upper Western States. Jess and Dick both graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane, Washington and after graduating from high school, Dick's family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah where Harold was offered a new Watkins' dealership. It wasn't six months before Jess took a bus to visit his friend. It was in Salt Lake City that Dick met and married Maude Leone Fairclough. Shortly thereafter, they moved to California, where both he and Leone took work in the shipyards, supporting the war effort. It wasn't long after, that Dick, being caught up in WW2, joined the Army Air Corps. He completed flight school at Stevens Point, Wisconsin and later trained as a radio operator in Sioux Falls, S.D. Mustering out of the Army at war’s end, Dick joined his fathers' Watkins dealership and soon excelled as a leading salesman for the company. Dick always prided himself as an accomplished entrepreneur and was successful in his life in cementing many of these traits in all of his children. With his keen aptitude for sales, and desirous to strike out on his own, Dick established Essendee Poultry - gaining the first government-stamped approved poultry farm within the Washington State boundaries. Soon he was supplying fryers and eggs to both McChord Air Force Base and Fort Lewis, along with numerous other civilian establishments in his region of the state. Dick, later went on as proprietor of a Tacoma roofing and siding business. From that endeavor, he represented Encyclopedia Brittanica as a top-rated sales representative throughout the northwest, primarily Utah, Idaho, Montana, North and South Dakota, and Wyoming. Dick would also hire himself out for carpentry work, etc. and also received an Arizona State Real Estate license after completing the Cecil Lawter Real Estate School. He amassed many talents in his 89+ years of life. In 1959, Dick, Leone, and family arrived in Phoenix, Arizona. Dick took on service station duties, worked on evaporative cooling systems for Mike Jupin, mustered up several different types of sales route jobs- including one for Laura's Curtains and Draperies while he completed apprenticeship requirements at the Phoenix Barber College. He eventually operated three different barbershops of his own, in Phoenix, Youngstown, and Cottonwood, respectively. He also worked for many years at the Shoppers' Fair Barbershop in Scottsdale. Dick was still cutting hair at the ripe old age of 82! Dick loved life, and, as a young man, avidly loved fishing, fly-tying, clam digging, and boating upon the many Washington and Montana waterways. Early on, Dick taught himself to play the harmonica- entertaining himself, friends, and family, whenever the right whim hit. His love of music and dancing led him to organize regularly scheduled weekly singles dances within the Phoenix Metro area. It was at these dances that he met Martha Sheets, his wife of 28+ years, whom remained at his side until his last moments. Dick was also an accomplished vegetable gardener and his projects always flourished. Dick also enjoyed raising, and racing, at times, registered homing pigeons. He entered several 1500 mile racing events in Utah and Montana. Dick was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Jackie, and his two highly prized and beloved dogs, Missy and Poco. He is survived by his wife, Martha, his sisters Laura Currah and Irene Olsen, his three children, LuAnn (husband Zack) Azooz, Frances Howe, and Jim (wife Shirley) Slater, 24 grandchildren, 29 great grandchildren, and Jess Green, his life-long best buddy.