Kathleen "Kate" (Murray) Slater

Kathleen “Kate” Murray Slater, 92, of Creston, died peacefully at home on Saturday, January 22, 2022.

She was born April 4, 1929 to John C. and Miriam Garrison Murray and was a life resident of Creston.

Kate worked for 33 years as the Chief Deputy Clerk of the Juvenile Court in Wooster, retiring in 1991.  She enjoyed working with the clerks, juvenile probation officers, judges, Sheriffs and deputies during those years.

Kate was the director/choreographer for the Minstrel Shows to raise money for the Community Service Club from 1961 through 1970.  She also was the choreographer for several musicals at Norwayne High School beginning in 1968.  She worked on the board of the Community Service to help organize and run the Fish Fry & Ox Roast each year from 1968 to 2009.  She established the yearly recognition of “Outstanding Citizens” who are honored at each Ox Roast from 1968 to the present.

While working on the Wayne County Library Board for seven years, she persuaded them to build the building which houses the current library branch in 1991 and celebrated its 25th year in 2016.

Kate served as Secretary of the Creston Historical Society since its inception until just a few years ago.

After acquiring original copies of the Creston News Journal from Akron University, where they had been stored, she read through them and typed articles of significance for Creston’s History.  She compiled them into four notebooks entitled, “Speaking from the Journal”.  In addition, she collected copies of Creston news from newspapers, The Wooster Republican and The Wayne County Democrat, and composed a notebook, “Newsprint Gleanings 1889 to 1901”.  Since both are indexed, they provide a quick and efficient means to review events of the past.  Kate also authored:  Historic Buildings on Main Street, Creston, Ohio, 1983; Creston Past Not Forgotten, 1991, and Remembrance, Our Local Schools 1876 – 2013, 2013.

A lifetime resident of Creston, Kate served as a council member from 1993 to 1997 where she was instrumental in coordinating the development of the Creston Park property, some 45 acres of undeveloped land.  She was assisted by a Park Planner from Medina who told her how to create a five-year plan of action for the improvements needed.  She wrote three grants to promote the expansion as well as talked to area clubs and individuals to obtain additional financial backing.  She supervised the “Tree” project to remove diseased and rotted trees to be replaced with a variety of smaller, flowering ornamental ones.  She also created a program which offered individuals the opportunity to purchase trees in memory of loved ones which were planted at the Creston Community Park and Maple Mound Cemetery.  Kate initiated the sidewalk program to replace damaged areas and to create sidewalks in residential areas where none existed throughout the village.

As a musician, Kate played the piano at the Creston United Methodist Church and directed the choir for 56 years from 1957 to 2013.  She and Roberta Tyler played piano/organ duets from 1965 to 2013.

She is survived by her husband of 72 years, Walt L. Slater, son Tracy L. (Marilyn) Slater, daughter, Julia L. (Dave) Slater Crawford, son, Michael L. (Elizabeth) Slater, grandson, Brian M. (Amy) Slater, granddaughters, Jennifer A. (Brian) Slater Jefferies and Jessica L. (Andrew) Slater Weltlich, great-grandchildren, Emerson Kate Jefferies, Elliot Grace Jefferies, Cory Lawrence Weltlich and Claire Nicole Weltlich.  She was preceded in death by her parents, sister, Sylvia Murray Dyck and brother, Garrison Murray.

Services will be Friday, January 28th at 11:00 a.m. at Creston Canaan United Methodist Church with burial following in Creston Maple Mound Cemetery.  Friends may call on Thursday, January 27th from 4-7 p.m. at Murray Funeral Home in Creston.  Tributes may be shared at www.Murray-Funeral-Home.com  Contributions/donations may be made in Kate’s name to the Creston Community Service, c/o Helen Uhler, 202 Crestview Dr., Creston, OH 44217 or Creston Canaan United Methodist Church, PO Box 1111, Creston, OH 44217.