Sylvia W. Slater

Sylvia W. Slater, 88, of Lititz, passed away on Saturday, March 21, after a brief illness. She was the daughter of the late Dr. Chester and Esther Wertsch. She was also the wife of Alfred E. Slater, who preceded her in death in March of 2022 after 63 years of marriage.

Sylvia will be remembered for her love of knitting, making many snow suits and sweaters for family and friends, countless hats and mittens, and dolls that were taken on mission trips to Africa for the children living there. She and Alfred also spent some time in Slate Run, where she gained certification with the PA Game Commission as a wild animal rehabilitator. She specialized in orphaned black bear cubs, becoming the first person in PA to be specialized in that field. Over the years, she was responsible for returning many bears back into the wild in the forests of Northern PA.

After living in Slate Run, they returned to Lititz and lived in Luther Acres Retirement Community. While there, she continued to volunteer within the community, becoming President of Resident Council, organizing and volunteering at the annual Strawberry Festival, Christmas Bazaar, bake sale, clothing bank, and grocery store on campus, and even forming a water volleyball team in their wellness facility. She was also a member of Lititz Methodist Church and volunteered many hours with their clothing bank as well. Her spunk and zest for life will be missed by the many that knew and loved her.

She is survived by children William (Charlene) Slater of Lititz, and daughter Amy (Rob) Barbour of Montoursville; grandchildren Sarah (Melanie) Gray of Ozark, AL, Laura (Brian) Ritchey of Middletown, Samantha Slater of Ephrata, Amanda (Kyle) Maxwell of Mechanicsburg, and Lydia Barbour of Montoursville; great-grandchildren Miles and Kaylee Ritchey, and Bryson Maxwell; and siblings Dr. Harry (Sandy) Wertsch and Dr. Karen Malleus of Lititz. She was preceded in passing by her siblings Chester Wertsch Jr. and Linda Neiss.

A celebration of Sylvia’s life will be held at a later date surrounded by her family. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Sylvia’s name may be made to the Lititz Methodist Church clothing bank at lititzumc.org/open-door-clothing-bank.