Obituary of John David Slagle

JOHN DAVID SLAGLE

John was born on September 6, 1953 in Broken Arrow, OK to Howard and Alice Slagle (Humbyrd).  He left us on May 31, 2024 with his family and dear friends at his side.  John was a proud member of the Cherokee Nation. 

There was more to John that is hard to put into words.  He was loyal, loving, and had a very dry sense of humor.  His laugh was contagious.  He was serious too. 

In his younger years he and his brother, JR, worked at the Boggs Truck Farm in Bixby.  They worked, saved, and pooled their money to buy a Honda 50 motorcycle. Where there was one, the other was right there with him.  There are many stories that could be told about some of their exploits.

He went to work at Kerr Glass in Sand Springs after high school working in the “hot end”.  Ball Glass bought Kerr and John decided to follow them to Louisiana, where he lived for many years with his beloved German Shepherds. His dog Rowdy passed within a day of John.  John worked for Ball until his retirement.  John was frugal, but if he wanted something, he got it.  The family surmised that he had every car or motorcycle he ever bought.

While working at Kerr Glass, John met Chris and Kelli Wilson.  John took Chris under his wing and they became fast and loyal friends.  In November 2022, Chris and Kelli brought John and Rowdy back to Sand Springs when they recognized John should no longer live alone. The family’s attempts to contact John were not successful.  Years working in the glass industry had taken most of his hearing and his ability to use a phone frustrated him.  John had other illnesses thru the years, including losing the sight in one eye after falling from the back of his truck onto a fence post.  John was never “poor me”, he just accepted it and went on. John loved to fish and had a cabin at Grand Lake where he went often, meeting his friends Kelli and Chris. Kelli and Chris did what only really “true” friends would do.  They took care of him and Rowdy in their home.  We cannot say how grateful we are for Kelli and Chris.      

We were a blended family, but from the day he joined us at the age of 9, he was our brother.  We never used the word step before brother. We gained a sister too, Judy.  Judy was grown, but still our sister. 

For several years, a small group of us decided to go the horse races in Shreveport for the LA Derby.  We always had a great time and he was an integral part of it.  When you put JR, John, and David together, the laughter rarely stopped. 

He is survived by his siblings, Anna (Judy) and her husband Henry of Coweta, Chris Ramirez of Virginia Beach, Sherry Bardwell and her husband David of Edmond, Rudy (JR) and his wife Janet of Louisiana, Brenda Brady of Tulsa, and Lisa and her husband Tony of Tulsa.  He had many nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews. He is also survived by many cousins.  

He was preceded in death by his parents Howard Slagle, and his mother Alice and her husband Rudy Ramirez (Humbyrd).  His Grandparents Walter and Pat Slagle of Alsuma, OK and TJ and Addie Humbyrd of Tulsa.  Sister, Kathy passed in 2007.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to  Porta Caeli House or your Local German Shepherd Rescue in John’s name.