Obituary for Shirley Ann Slaton
Slaton -
Funeral services for Shirley Ann Slaton will be held on Monday, February 21, at 2:00 at Heflin Baptist Church. The family will receive friends from 4-6 on Sunday at Dryden Funeral Home in Heflin. She will also be available for viewing beginning at 1:00 Monday before the funeral at the church building.
Shirley is survived by her four children: Ann Lyons, Vickie Pullen, Ben Jr. (Kelly) Slaton and Susan (Dwayne) Bailey; four grandchildren: Adam (Nicole) Lyons, Daniel (Katilyn) Slaton, Greg (Kim) Slaton and Seth Bailey; and four great-grandchildren: Nathan Wilhite, Coleman Lyons, Luke Lyons, and Amelia Slaton; three sisters, one brother: Hazel Mitchell, Nell Fordham, David (Mary) Cox, Martha (Peter) Neall; Sister-in-Love Esther Laney; Son-in-Love Dennis Lyons, and a plethora of nieces and nephews.
The family wishes to thank the wonderful nurses and doctors in the RMC Covid Unit and the 9the floor staff for their care and compassion, particularly Stephanie and Kat. Thanks to Mama’s doctors and other medical professionals including Dr. Mohammed Shubar, Dr. Mohammed Kamran, Dr. Mohamadal iEloubeidi, Dr. Prathyusha Madella, Dr. Aasim Sehbai, Dr. Vishala Chindalor and Encompass Nurse Stephanie Clevenger for the marvelous care and kindness shown. Very special thanks to Carson Pearce CRNP and Dr. Louis Divalentin for the care and honor shown through the years.
Shirley was born March 10, 1936, to Jefferson Amon Cox and Grace Zella Hilton Cox in Arbacoochie, Alabama. She told many stories about growing up in the “red lands.”
From there Shirley moved to Atlanta, where she met and married Phillip Bass. Together they owned and operated Gabe’s Restaurant, a 24-hour drive-in on Moreland Avenue with the motto: “We may doze, but we never close.” Mr. Bass died from a long illness, and Shirley met and married Ed Hubbard. She was welcomed into a loving family and formed friendships that she would cherish the rest of her life. Unfortunately, she was widowed a second time when Mr. Hubbard died unexpectedly. She was 24.
Gabe’s closed and Shirley began working at Arrow Shirt Company. There she met and shared an apartment with another young lady who happened to have this handsome brother named Ben Slaton. Shirley changed her last name for a third and final time when they married in 1961. Soon afterward she gained the most important name of her life, Mama. She was the best Mama in the world.
Ben and Shirley eventually settled on the old home place near Ranburne. Shirley worked for many years as a seamstress for LaMar Manufacturing Company in Bowdon.
Mama lived to serve. She taught Sunday School at Rock Springs Baptist Church for decades. If there was an activity at school, she was there. Members of Rock Springs and Heflin Baptist churches were the proud recipients of untold amounts of peanut butter cakes, lemon meringue pies, potato salad and gallons of sweet tea. For Upward soccer games, her sausage biscuits were very popular.
She enjoyed her volunteer work at Heflin Baptist, organizing choir music, helping prepare bulletins, delivering flowers to the nursing home and food to the jail, but by far the kitchen was her happy place. Whether it was Wednesday night dinners, Diamond Set luncheon, football breakfast on Friday mornings, or bereavement meals, she lived to serve.
During her last years Mama became focused on quilting. She made a quilt for each child, grandchild, and great-grandchild that will be a treasured memory.Mama had a deep, abiding faith that saw her through the ups and downs of her life. She was a member of Rock Springs Baptist Church for many years before moving her letter to Heflin Baptist. She loved the second verse of “Amazing Grace.” If you haven’t noticed, it goes,
“Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come.
Tis grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”
She is home now.”
Pallbearers will be: Gary Cox, Keith Fordham, John Lipham, Glenn Hyatt, Mark Vise, Robbie Brown, Bart Young, and Brad Laney.
visit our website @ www.drydenfuneralhome.com
Funeral services for Shirley Ann Slaton will be held on Monday, February 21, at 2:00 at Heflin Baptist Church. The family will receive friends from 4-6 on Sunday at Dryden Funeral Home in Heflin. She will also be available for viewing beginning at 1:00 Monday before the funeral at the church building.
Shirley is survived by her four children: Ann Lyons, Vickie Pullen, Ben Jr. (Kelly) Slaton and Susan (Dwayne) Bailey; four grandchildren: Adam (Nicole) Lyons, Daniel (Katilyn) Slaton, Greg (Kim) Slaton and Seth Bailey; and four great-grandchildren: Nathan Wilhite, Coleman Lyons, Luke Lyons, and Amelia Slaton; three sisters, one brother: Hazel Mitchell, Nell Fordham, David (Mary) Cox, Martha (Peter) Neall; Sister-in-Love Esther Laney; Son-in-Love Dennis Lyons, and a plethora of nieces and nephews.
The family wishes to thank the wonderful nurses and doctors in the RMC Covid Unit and the 9the floor staff for their care and compassion, particularly Stephanie and Kat. Thanks to Mama’s doctors and other medical professionals including Dr. Mohammed Shubar, Dr. Mohammed Kamran, Dr. Mohamadal iEloubeidi, Dr. Prathyusha Madella, Dr. Aasim Sehbai, Dr. Vishala Chindalor and Encompass Nurse Stephanie Clevenger for the marvelous care and kindness shown. Very special thanks to Carson Pearce CRNP and Dr. Louis Divalentin for the care and honor shown through the years.
Shirley was born March 10, 1936, to Jefferson Amon Cox and Grace Zella Hilton Cox in Arbacoochie, Alabama. She told many stories about growing up in the “red lands.”
From there Shirley moved to Atlanta, where she met and married Phillip Bass. Together they owned and operated Gabe’s Restaurant, a 24-hour drive-in on Moreland Avenue with the motto: “We may doze, but we never close.” Mr. Bass died from a long illness, and Shirley met and married Ed Hubbard. She was welcomed into a loving family and formed friendships that she would cherish the rest of her life. Unfortunately, she was widowed a second time when Mr. Hubbard died unexpectedly. She was 24.
Gabe’s closed and Shirley began working at Arrow Shirt Company. There she met and shared an apartment with another young lady who happened to have this handsome brother named Ben Slaton. Shirley changed her last name for a third and final time when they married in 1961. Soon afterward she gained the most important name of her life, Mama. She was the best Mama in the world.
Ben and Shirley eventually settled on the old home place near Ranburne. Shirley worked for many years as a seamstress for LaMar Manufacturing Company in Bowdon.
Mama lived to serve. She taught Sunday School at Rock Springs Baptist Church for decades. If there was an activity at school, she was there. Members of Rock Springs and Heflin Baptist churches were the proud recipients of untold amounts of peanut butter cakes, lemon meringue pies, potato salad and gallons of sweet tea. For Upward soccer games, her sausage biscuits were very popular.
She enjoyed her volunteer work at Heflin Baptist, organizing choir music, helping prepare bulletins, delivering flowers to the nursing home and food to the jail, but by far the kitchen was her happy place. Whether it was Wednesday night dinners, Diamond Set luncheon, football breakfast on Friday mornings, or bereavement meals, she lived to serve.
During her last years Mama became focused on quilting. She made a quilt for each child, grandchild, and great-grandchild that will be a treasured memory.Mama had a deep, abiding faith that saw her through the ups and downs of her life. She was a member of Rock Springs Baptist Church for many years before moving her letter to Heflin Baptist. She loved the second verse of “Amazing Grace.” If you haven’t noticed, it goes,
“Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come.
Tis grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”
She is home now.”
Pallbearers will be: Gary Cox, Keith Fordham, John Lipham, Glenn Hyatt, Mark Vise, Robbie Brown, Bart Young, and Brad Laney.
visit our website @ www.drydenfuneralhome.com