Westley 'Randy' Slater

Westley “Randy” Slater (1952 -2017)

CATSKILL—Westley Randolph “Randy” Slater, 65, of Copake Falls died at The Pines at Catskill, October 25, 2017 after a five-year battle with cancer.

He was born February 14, 1952 in Middlebury, VT, the eldest of four sons born to John Westley Slater and Mildred Luella (Hier) Slater.

He grew up in and around Leicester Junction, VT, and attended schools in the Rutland Northeast Supervisory Union school district.

He moved to Columbia County in the late 1960s.

He attended Roeliff Jansen High School and graduated in 1972 with the first class of the newly-merged Taconic Hills Central School District. He went on to study business at Columbia-Greene Community College.

He worked on several dairy farms including Val-Kest in Ancramdale, and was one of the early “deli boys” at the Circle Delicatessen in Copake, where he learned the skill of meat cutting.

He was a bartender; he worked at the Ancramdale General Store and was a quality control inspector for many years at Keuffel and Esser, a plastics manufacturer in Millerton.

He raised mice at the Millerton Research Farm (“the mouse house”); worked for the Town of Ancram Highway Department; and was a caretaker at the Long Lake housing development in Ancram.

He served as an elected tax assessor for the Town of Ancram.

For many years, he coached Little League baseball, youth basketball and youth football.

He was a hunter, a fisherman and loved to shoot the breeze around a campfire with his friends, his dog and a few beers.

He was an all-around sports fan, especially of the New York Football Giants and NASCAR.

In his younger days, he bowled in leagues at the Cove Lanes and played, mostly catcher, on a men's softball league in Hudson. He liked to shoot pool, snowmobile, watch John Wayne westerns and dance till the wee hours.

Randy was a familiar and friendly character, known by many. He was generous, fun-loving, easy-going and kind.

He had a special rapport with children. He was able to dive into silliness with them at any moment or show them the secret to catching a fish. He was a lover, not a fighter, with a smile like no other. He was a Jack of all trades, master of none, but he could persuade anyone otherwise.

He is survived by: his daughter, Abigail (Valden-Slater) Della Cerra and son-in-law Nicholas Della Cerra of Dumont, NJ; sons, Jesse Slater and Jonathan Murphy of Copake Falls; his grandson, Anderson Della Cerra; his sister, Melissa Slater (John Sharac) of Gallatin; brothers, Anthony Slater, Timothy Slater (Karen) of Millerton and Lewis Slater (Maggie) of Ancram; aunts, Aggie Denis of New York, Mary Hier, Sylvia Hier and Jean Bushy of Vermont; his best buddies, Grant Hermans, Joe LoVoi; his former wife and friend, Diane Valden; many cousins, nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by: his father; his mother; his step-mother, Stella Slater; brothers, Henry “Baldy” Slater, Stanley Slater; his sister, Crystal Slater; numerous uncles, aunts, cousins; and his faithful beagle, Dudley.

Calling hours take place Sunday, October 29, 2 to 4 and 6 to 8   p.m. at the Peck and Peck Funeral Home, 8063 Route 22, Copake. A funeral service will take place there Monday, October 30 at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Crystal Lynn Slater Scholarship, c/o Peck & Peck Funeral Home, P.O. Box 15, Pine Plains 12567 or the Ancram Fire Company, P.O. Box 114, Ancram 12502.

To sign the online register visit peckandpeck.net