William (Bill) Howard Slagle, age 94, of Fayetteville, Ga. passed into eternity on April 3, 2018.
Bill was born in Verda, Ky. on July 20, 1923 to Minnie and Charles Slagle. Raised in a coal mining town, he was one of nine children. He joined the army in 1940 and served in China and India during WWII.
Bill obtained his GED after returning from the war and went on to graduate from Campbellsville College in Campbellsville, Ky. and Southwestern Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas. In 1952, Bill married Rebecca “Sue” Parks and they had two children, Rebecca Anne and John Mark. The family lived in Tennessee, Ohio, Texas, Indiana, and Georgia.
Bill made quite an impact in his career as a minister in the Southern Baptist Convention. He began his ministry pastoring local churches in Kentucky and Tennessee, but he quickly moved into denominational work for the Baptist Convention. He served as Director of Associational Missions in Dayton and Cleveland, Ohio; Director of Brotherhood in both Indiana and Ohio; Assistant Director of Church Extension of the Baptist Home Mission Board in Atlanta; and Director of Church Extension with the Georgia Baptist Convention. During his career, he was responsible for starting numerous churches and mentoring ministers and laity.
Bill and Sue continued their mission work throughout their retirement, regularly leading mission teams to Hawaii. In Fayette County, Bill was on the board of Square Foot Ministry, and worked on numerous projects in the local area. He was also a volunteer for “Meals on Wheels” in both Rockdale and Fayette County.
Reverend Bill Slagle was widely known as a minister, public speaker, and mentor to others during his career. However, he was most fulfilled when he was serving in a “hands-on” capacity: building a church or a home for someone in need; helping an individual or organization by completing necessary repairs; or sharing the bounty of his garden with his neighbors. He is known to many as “Bill, the Pen Man,” as he developed his own wood-working business during his retirement years. Bill is also affectionately known as “Pawpaw,” playing an integral role in the lives of his grandchildren.
Bill is survived by daughter, Becki (Joe) Mayo; grandchildren, Hannah James, William Massie, and Jared Massie; great-granddaughter, Eliza James; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by wife, Rebecca Sue Slagle; son, John Mark; brothers, Morris, Garnet, Emmett, and Bernard Slagle; and sisters, Ruby Hampton, Maggie Hopkins, Lois Buis, and Beverly Kitchen.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, May 5, 2018 at 11 a.m. at Carl J. Mowell & Son Funeral Home, Fayetteville, with Dr. David Chancy and Reverend J.W. Wallis officiating. Visitation will take place prior to the service from 9 -11 a.m. at the funeral home.
Memorials or donations may be made to McDonough Road Baptist Church
http://www.mcdonoughroad.org/give/or Square Foot Ministry
https://www.squarefootministry.org/donate.
