Jon Lyman Slate

Jon Lyman Slate, 81, of Lebanon, CT, passed away at home on February 7, 2026. Jon was born in Middletown, CT, on January 15, 1945, to Alton Kingsley Slate and Esther "Susie" Atwell Slate, the first of three boys. He grew up in Lebanon on the family farm and attended Lebanon schools, graduating from Lyman Memorial High School in 1963. He then went on to attend Delaware Valley College. Following graduation, Jon worked at Krauseland Farm in Lebanon until 1971, and worked for the USDA until his retirement.

Jon married Susan Meyers in 1969 and they had two children, Kimberly Jo and Jason Louis. He later married Donna Durand Guilbeault. Jon devoted his life to the Slate homestead and farm, which has been in the family for 10 generations. Anything Jon could do himself he did - whether it was making improvements inside the home or removing multiflora rose bushes from the fields. One of Jon's favorite activities was sitting on the long porch and admiring his paradise. In 2011, Connecticut Farmland Trust and the Town of Lebanon partnered to conserve Jon's beloved farm, ensuring that it will remain as the beautiful open space that it is today, just as he admired it.

Jon was predeceased by his parents, his second wife, and his brother, Robert Slate. He leaves behind his daughter (Michael Shaw); his son; his brother & sisters-in-law, Timothy & Linda Slate and Kim Latrobe; nieces and their spouses Wendy & Jon Berman, Kelley & Chris Nakos, and Lindsay & Cyril Green Ill; nephew Jesse Slate; grandchildren Cole (Laci) Abell, Austin Abell, Stella Shaw, and Tyler Slate; great-grandchildren Hadley Slate and Everett Abell; and great-nephews and nieces Thatcher Berman, Cyril & Rowan Green, and Cody & Kora Nakos. He also leaves behind his close friend, Rodney Dzialo, and companion Sylvia Webb and her daughter, Sylvia Green.

Services will be private and take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given in Jon's name to Connecticut Farmland Trust, 77 Buckingham Street, 3rd floor, Hartford, CT 06106.