Katherine Gaines Slagle, 99, of Denison, Texas, died of natural causes at Texoma Healthcare in Sherman, Texas, Sunday, November 29, 2020. She was a member of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church.
Katherine Gaines Slagle was born April 5, 1921 to Leslie Homer Gaines Sr. and wife, Edna Grisham Gaines in Denison, Texas. She was the first of four children: Leslie Homer Gaines Jr., Morris Hilton Gaines, and Mary Francis Gaines Garvin, all born in Denison, Texas. She attended Peabody and Layne School and met her future husband, Daily Slagle at Layne.
Katherine married Daily F. Slagle, Jr. March 8, 1941 in Durant, OK. They began their married life in Brownwood, Texas as he was stationed there with the US Army Air Corps. They moved many times as World War II broke out, living in Coral Gables, FL and Mission Viejo, CA. She was a true military wife taking her children and following her husband any place she was allowed. She loved traveling, singing, dancing, whistling, and all kinds of art. As a family, they visited many tourist sights and took in cultural activities of each location.
They had 4 children: Kayleen Slagle Ruth, Daily F. Slagle, III, born in Sherman and Denison; and twins: Mary Lou Slagle Hoover and Deborah Sue Slagle born in Wiesbaden, Germany. Deborah died at 6 wks. old, so the family returned to Denison to bury her. During Daily’s 20-year USAF military career they also lived in Tripoli, North Africa; Okinawa, Japan; and Middletown, Pennsylvania. Daily retired and moved the family back home to Denison.
She was preceded in death by both parents; husband; daughter, Deborah; brother, Morris H. Gaines of Denison; granddaughter, Gia Leslie Slagle of Denison; son-in-law, Billy Ruth of Prior Lake, MN and great grandson, James Michael Owens of Granbury, Texas
She is survived by brother, L.H. Gaines, Jr. of Tucson, AZ; sister, Mary Garvin of Denison; daughter, Kayleen Ruth of Denison, formerly of Prior Lake, MN and grandsons, Shane and Chad Ruth; son, Daily F. Slagle, III and wife, Donna nee Hodges of Denison and grandsons, Deen, Jeromy and Cody Slagle; and daughter, Mary Lou and husband, James Samuel Hoover of Austin, TX and granddaughters, Jennifer Irwin and Melinda Owens. She had 21 great grandchildren and 8 great- great grandchildren.
Johnson-Moore Funeral Home in Denison, Texas offers viewing of Katherine Gaines Slagle on Friday, December 4, 2020, masks and social distancing required. The private funeral service and interment at Fairview Cemetery will be Saturday, December 5, for family only due to COVID-19 capacity requirements.
Condolences may be registered to: www.johnsonmoorefuneralhome.net.
