Albert Carl "Al" Slater Jr

Albert (Al) Carl Slater Jr. passed away Monday, January 13, 2025 in Spokane Valley, WA at the age of 72. Born in Wallace, ID on March 8, 1952, Al graduated at the top of his class from Wallace High School in 1970. From there, he worked on and off in the Star Mine during breaks from college over the next five years. After graduating with his BS in nursing from WSU, he embarked on a long career in healthcare, taking on multiple leadership roles. His largest chunks of time were spent at Eastern State Hospital for 7 years and as a psychiatric RN at Sacred Heart for almost 29 years. After leaving Sacred Heart, Al retired and moved to Virginia, where he soon decided to go back to work. He worked as an RN at Western VA Regional jail, Catawba Hospital, Lewisgale Behavioral Health, and Mt. Regis Center. After spending 9 years in Virginia, Al moved back to the Spokane area with his family and worked at Frontier Behavioral Health before retiring again. Throughout his career, he was loved and admired by coworkers, supervisors, and patients for his work ethic, professionalism, leadership, compassion, humor, and team mentality. Al met and married his wife Debbie in 1986, and they were able to spend 38 cherished years together. Al was a beloved father to son Andrew, and daughters Cassandra and Kimberly. He found great joy in being "papa" to six grandchildren, who will miss him dearly. They will always remember the way his face lit up when they walked in the room and the love he had for them. In his early life, Al enjoyed hunting and fly fishing in the Idaho wilderness. He also took great joy in photography and visiting national parks. Al enjoyed going on road trips with family, playing board games, playing video games, and watching shows/movies with his wife Debbie. Making online grocery orders was also one of his favorite pastimes. Al played a vital role in the lives of many, sharing his sobriety story of 14 ½ years and acting as a sponsor to others. Those who would like to pay their respects to Al are invited to attend a celebration of life on Sunday, January 26, 2025 in Spokane Valley, WA from 1-3 pm. Please reach out to his daughter Kimmy at (540) 808-3957 for details. Those unable to attend are encouraged to share stories and memories of their time with Al on the PNW cremation obituary page.