Obituary: Robert Slayton, 1947-2023 

Robert  "Bert/Bob" Gary Slayton passed away on June 11, 2023, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was born at Copley Hospital in Morrisville, Vt., on January 27, 1947, to Walter and Evelena Slayton.

Bert grew up in Stowe, Vt., where he started dating the love of his life, Linda Vanesse, during their senior year at Stowe High School. Robert and Linda married on June 17, 1967, at Blessed Sacrament Church in Stowe. They celebrated their 55th anniversary in June 2022. Linda and Bert’s son, Steven, was born in 1973, followed by their daughter, Julie, three years later. In 1977, Linda and Bert moved with their young family from Morrisville to Jericho, Vt., to the home where they lived for the rest of their lives.

Robert earned a degree in Latin from the University of Vermont in 1969. He embarked on a 40-year teaching career that started at Hazen Union High School but was mostly spent at Mount Mansfield Union High School. At MMU, he was the longtime Latin teacher and varsity baseball coach. His students won the annual Latin Day competition at the University of Vermont many times during his tenure, and his baseball teams won four state championships. He was a talented and inspiring teacher and coach who positively impacted the countless young minds he helped to mold.

Bert was an athlete who loved playing and watching sports. In addition to coaching the MMU varsity baseball team, he participated in men’s softball leagues for many years and rarely missed a Boston Red Sox game. He also loved to golf and hunt. Bert’s favorite hobby was spending time in the woods with his son, looking for signs of deer and other wildlife.

In his last few years, Parkinson’s robbed him of the ability to participate in his favorite hobbies. Despite his near constant pain — and his increasing reliance on others to assist him with routine daily tasks — he maintained his witty sense of humor, sweet demeanor and positive attitude. He was a devoted father and “Papa,” and his happiest times were times spent with family, and in his later years, especially with his three beloved grandchildren.

Bert was predeceased by his devoted wife, Linda, on December 19, 2022. He was also predeceased by his parents and his brother Walter Slayton. He is survived by his son, Steven, Steven’s wife, Karie, and their sons, Lucas and Zachary Slayton, of Bow, N.H.; and by his daughter, Julie (Slayton) Kolinich, Julie’s husband, Jonathan, and their daughter, Haley of Jericho, Vt. He is also survived by his brother Richard Slayton of Florida.

We were incredibly lucky to have had such an amazing father and grandfather, and while our hearts ache at no longer having him with us, we take some comfort in knowing that he is pain free at last. We want to thank Gloria Lewis and Matthew Everett of Bayada for their devotion to our father, and we are grateful to the caregiving staff at Mansfield Place, who treated our father with kindness and compassion in his final days.

The family will hold a private burial this summer and will plan a celebration of life event in the near future. Please consider a donation in Bert’s memory to the Parkinson’s Foundation or the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.