Family and friends attended the memorial for John Slater at Sonora Community Centre in Osoyoos on June 6. Photo by Lyonel Doherty
Only John Slater would buy a fart machine to liven up a boring meeting.
The laughter erupted in the Sonora Community Centre last Saturday during John’s memorial when brother Kim told family and friends about the time John pulled one of his many pranks.
“He complained about the committee meetings. He said they were painfully tedious.”
Kim explained how John stopped at a joke shop in Vancouver and bought a fart machine with a remote control. Oh, oh.
He secretly taped the machine under the speaker’s table during one meeting. The first time he pressed the button, everyone pretended not to hear the flatulence, which was quite shocking.
The second time, people started looking nervously at each other.
“The third time they pointed fingers at each other,” Kim said to a roomful of laughter.
Family and friends gathered at the Sonora to remember the fun-loving father, businessman, councillor, mayor and MLA, who was indeed a man of all seasons.
“My brother was full of cool ideas, and a guy who was fearless to try anything,” said Kim.
The phone calls always started with “guess what?” and would see John subsequently operating a service station, a greenhouse business, restaurant, and a waterslide before jumping into politics.
“He made all those things happen, and that was John.”
Kim recalled growing up in Rutland and playing hockey on the local pond.
“Before we could skate on it, we had to make sure the ice was thick enough, so he (John) sent me out on the ice to see if it was too thin. But he gave me a long rope to hang onto if things didn’t go well.”
One time John wanted to save time clearing the ice by pouring five gallons of gas on it. Kim ended up lighting the match.
“I still remember the smell of singed hair.”
John’s first business was selling turtles from the pond. But that soon ended when a parent, who owned the property, was getting tired of giving his kids money to buy stuff he already owned.
Being fearless saw John enter a sailboat race and not give up despite a windstorm that forced all other competitors off the lake.
When the RCMP conducted a search and found John and Kim on the boat, John said, “Hi guys, what’s up?”
Kim was honest by saying that John wasn’t perfect; he had his frailties and made mistakes like everyone else.
“But he placed great value in his many friends and the well-being of his community.”
Kim said John never fell out of love, he only fell in love, noting he reserved a special place in his heart for sisters Sylvia and Laura, and his children Christopher, Tina and Alana.
“For me, I don’t know who I’m going to text when the Maple Leafs lose again,” Kim said.
Long-time friend Brian Yamaoka recalled John’s passion for fishing and tying flies. He’ll never forget the time when John’s mother opened the door to his room, sending feathers floating everywhere.
Yamaoka said John was an excellent listener, which is why he made such a good politician.
Even though John had an uncanny ability to fix things, he sometimes stuck his nose where it didn’t belong, such as in one motor that exploded in his face. John wanted to know why Yamaoke was laughing at him. Because . . . “all your hair is gone (moustache, eyebrows).”
Bill Ross, another long-time friend, recalled the time he and John attended a municipal convention but skipped out to play golf. They met this funny guy on the course, who later turned out to be the convention’s comedian, who happened to mention to the audience how he met these two guys named John Slater and Bill Ross hitting golf balls.
“I think John is playing golf with Chris now on the 7th hole. I will miss John because John was my friend,” Ross said.
Former Osoyoos Mayor Tom Shields remembered John, Kim and Brian presenting the waterslide development to council.
“The Town got excited for the summer jobs. Man, was it rockin! John had it cooking like you wouldn’t believe.”
Shields said John was known for a certain expression every time he was concerned: “Jeez,” he would say.
Every time he hit a golf ball off course, he would say “Jeez.”
Friend and colleague Ryan Pineo wrote that he and John always seemed to get into trouble of the best kind, playing around and doing pranks on everyone in the office.
“He was such a special man . . . John, you will be sorely missed.”
To Laura Slater, John was always her big brother.
“I was amazed with his knowledge. He was Google search before it became popular.”
In a letter to their father, Tina and Alana said he was their hero, a man who treated their friends like his own children.
“We will miss his laugh, hugs and amazing meals,” they pointed out.
Sylvia said John was her mentor, protector and hero in life.
She noted that family and friends will now move forward towards a new normal without John, but they will embrace the joy he brought them.
The memorial concluded with John’s favourite message: Yesterday cherish, tomorrow dream, today live.
