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.
This article appears in Jun 14-20, 2023.
He’s a soul that will never be forgotten. As he once said, we will “rockabus”. Aka. We will rock you in terms of our Latin day Medusa! I pray for his family and I know he will be so deeply missed.
Dear Julie and Steven-
We are thinking of you and your families, so much loss in the past year. Your parents were some of the very best, its just not fair that you didnt get to enjoy many more years with them. We are grateful that your Dad is no longer in pain though. He was a wonderful teacher and coach. And he was clearly so proud of you both! Sending love and hugs-
Mike and Amy Turner
(Mike is Former Latin student, MMU co-worker and assistant baseball coach)
Praesentia Bob in schola Latina et in adamante baseball MMU semper sentitur, cum talis persona classy.
Dan Tolle
Thousands of his students and athletes and their parents are leading better lives for having known Mr. Slayton. He had the most successful professional life I can imagine.
All hail the Slayton double steal of home!
Coach was an amazing person in the classroom, on the field and around the community. He was always smiling with his patented nodding laugh clap point. He was a wonderful man with whom I played for, co-coached with, tutored latin for, discussed fantasy baseball with and communicated with for roughly 30 years of my life. It was hard to visit him at Mansfield place but so happy I did with Tim Willeford. I loved you Bob as a teacher, a coach and a friend and am glad you are no longer in pain. You dramatically impacted thousands of lives for the good and to know you was to love you.
Requiesce in pace,
Corey Hevrin
Definitely a 1 in a million teacher. Having attended school through the graduate student level, hands down if told me to pick your favorite and most impactful teacher it would have been “Mr Slayton”. Anyone who can make four years of Latin truly fun had a gift. And of course no-one was more determined to win Latin Day each year. My sympathies to his family for their loss.
I arrived at MMU in the fall of 1994 when I became a fellow teacher and coach of Bob’s, and by then he was simply a legend. He was remarkably devoted to his work, and through his diligence and good nature, he found a way to make sure all students succeeded in his classes on some level. And his wonderful competitive spirit was a joy to behold whether throwing BP late into the evening or winning Latin Day seemingly every year or just playing croquet at a faculty get together. He always made me want to be better, and it was clear he had the same effect on his students. He truly left the world a better place, and I am proud to have known him.
Bucky Brandt
I took Latin from and played baseball for Bob at MMU. I was on the first of his state championship teams. He was a wonderful person, so wise and kind, nothing ever got him too excited or too upset. I remember him so fondly from ny high school days and have thought of him often. Rest in peace, Coach.