In Memory
William E. Slater
February 4, 1929 ~ April 15, 2025
William E. “Bill” Slater, 96, passed away in Mishawaka, IN, on April 15, 2025. He was born in South Bend on February 4, 1929, to the late William F. and Ella D. (Sonnenburg) Slater.
On September 16, 1950, he married Priscilla Jane Sholly at First Brethren Church in South Bend. She was the mother of his three children and passed away on October 19, 1991. On June 12,1993, Bill married Geraldine Kosanovich, and she passed away on March 17, 2017.
Surviving are Bill’s two sons, Allen (Kathy) of Missouri City, TX, and Keith (Leo) of Chicago, IL, and daughter, Peggy (Terry) Quimby of Mishawaka, IN. Also surviving are two grandsons, Jason Quimby of Edwardsburg, MI, and Mark (Kelsey) Slater of Houston, TX, and a granddaughter, Alecia (Jason) Smith of San Antonio, TX.
Bill was preceded in death by grandson, Chad Quimby, who is survived by his wife, Jessica Henderson Quimby and great-granddaughter, Kinlee Quimby of Mishawaka, IN. Bill is also survived by four additional great-grandchildren, Audrey Quimby of Kalamazoo, MI; Caroline Smith and Andrew Smith of San Antonio, TX; and Savannah Slater of Houston, TX.
Bill graduated from Riley High School in South Bend in 1946 and later served in planning many class reunions. He started working at Studebaker in 1947 as a millwright apprentice and graduated as a Journeyman in 1950 under the mentorship of his father. In 1954, Bill joined RACO (Roach-Appleton) as a maintenance mechanic and was promoted to maintenance foreman in 1958. In 1971, he transferred to the engineering department as a project engineer. In addition to developing new products, he served on several technical committees at Underwriters Laboratories and also the Canadian Standards Association. He also served at NEMA and was a member of a code panel of the NFPA National Electrical Code. He retired from RACO in 1994.
Bill was a member of Southlawn United Methodist Church for more than 60 years and served on several committees there. He also served as chairman of the board at Hamilton Grove and as president of the Farmington Hills Homeowners Association.
Bill loved fishing and spent many hours at his cottage on Big Fish Lake in Michigan. He enjoyed his recent retirement years at Primrose Retirement Communities in Mishawaka.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Southlawn United Methodist Church in South Bend.
Family and friends may gather at Palmer Funeral Home - Guisinger Chapel, 3718 S. Michigan Street, South Bend, on Friday, April 18, 2025 from 4:00-7:00pm for visitation, and again on Saturday, April 19th from 10:00-11:00am, and for a funeral service beginning at 11:00am. Bill will be laid to rest at a later date at Southlawn Cemetery, South Bend.
4/16/2025 djb
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