John Slater Loughlin went to meet his Lord on Sunday, October 18, 2009 at the age of 75 in McKinney, Texas, after a lengthy illness. Born on October 14, 1934, in San Antonio, to John R. and Pearl Loughlin, Slater graduated from Edison High School in that city and held degrees from what are now the Texas A&M campuses at Corpus Christi and Kingsville. Thanks to Dr. Judson Hunt and the heart transplant team at Medical City Dallas, he was given almost 9 nine additional years after receiving a heart transplant in 2001. Slater served in the U.S. Army Reserves for eight years, reaching the rank of sergeant, being named drum major of the 90th Infantry Band Division and gaining recognition as an expert rifleman. He worked as an educator for 35 years at schools in San Antonio, Sinton, Corpus Christi, San Marcos and Wimberley. While serving as speech and drama coach at Sinton High School in the 1970’s, he guided students, including his children, Joe, Jana, and John, to hundreds of awards in UIL, TFA and open tournaments all over central and south Texas. He also taught band, music appreciation, English, reading and Texas History during his career and served as director of community education and as a principal. For more than 20 years, Slater served as minister of music at Baptist churches in Corpus Christi, San Antonio, Sinton, Wimberley and Staples. He taught Sunday School for youth and adults for nearly 40 years and sang in church choirs for 30 years besides those in which he was director. He was an ordained deacon, serving for many years, until health problems forced him to inactivate his status. According to Slater, he was born three times. In 1934, his family celebrated his physical birth, in 1942 he celebrated his spiritual birth through accepting Jesus as his Lord and Savior and on New Years Day, 2001, he celebrated by receiving a new heart through transplant from a sweet girl named Nicole who lost her life in a tragic accident. The thoughtfulness of her family literally saved his life. Slater was preceded in death by his dear Christian parents. He is survived by his precious wife, Joann, whom he met in college and has been his spiritual mentor and loving companion for 51 years; sons Joe and wife Valerie; John and wife Holly; daughter Jana Walters; son-in-law Pat Walters; grandchildren Lexi Walters, Livi Walters, Luci Walters, Briana Loughlin, Worth Loughlin, Glenna Loughlin, and Murren Loughlin; cousins Jesse and Kitty Cowling and Ruth Allen; sister and brother-in-law Margaret and Ed Tice; brothers-in-law Steve and Hugh Thomas; mother-in-law Frances Thomas; and many friends whom he felt honored to know from his childhood days in San Antonio to those he met along the way as he served his Lord and the students whom he loved so much. TO GOD BE THE GLORY A Celebration service of his life will be at 1:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 21, 2009 in the sanctuary of First Baptist Church, McKinney, Texas. Family and friends are invited to the funeral home at their convenience on Tuesday to pay their respects and to sign the register book. The family will receive friends during a visitation on Tuesday evening beginning at 6:00 p.m., at the Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home, Allen, Texas.