Gloria J. Slaughter

Gloria J. Slaughter passed away on April 26, 2023 at 82 years of age. She is survived by John, her loving husband of more than 61 years, her beloved daughter Lara and her beloved son Hugh.

Gloria was born in Norfolk, Virginia on November 20, 1940. She and her family moved to Birmingham, Alabama when she was a teenager, and it was while attending Birmingham-Southern college that she met her husband-to-be. They were married in 1961, and on June 18, 1965 they had their first child, Hugh. Lara was born on January 16, 1969. Both of them grew up to inherent many of Gloria’s best qualities, and are wonderful children and human beings.

Gloria as a person can be summed up in one word – love. She loved John with all her heart, and she loved Lara and Hugh equally as much. But her life as a loving human being extended beyond her immediate family. She loved life, and she loved all of humanity, but in particular she loved children. Gloria graduated from the University of South Alabama in 1970 with a degree in elementary education. She taught in Alabama for awhile, and after moving to Decatur, Georgia in 1980, taught second grade at Columbia Elementary School in Dekalb County for 23 years. While there she also received a Master’s degree in education from Georgia State University.

Although Gloria never sought recognition, she received many awards for her work, including Teacher of the Year, an induction into the Georgia Association of Educators Hall of Fame, and recognized for work by the Dekalb Neighborhood Leadership Institute. Gloria served as the president of the Organization of Dekalb Educators, and then after retirement, served as the president of ODE-Retired.

Gloria also worked with the homeless, was an active part of Moral Monday, a grassroots movement dedicated to achieving the expansion of Medicaid for the poor in Georgia, and for many years was a member of the Georgia Citizens Coalition on Hunger. She was also a member of the National Public Education Committee.

A memorial service to celebrate Gloria’s life will be conducted at the Wages and Sons Funeral Home in Stone Mountain village, 1040 Main Street, at 2:00 PM on Saturday, May 6.

In lieu of flowers we are suggesting that a charitable donation be made to the Georgia Citizens Coalition on Hunger, 9 Gammon Street SE, Atlanta, GA 30315, or to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.