James Slater

James Slater, 81 of Battle Lake died Friday, July 2, 2021, at Sanford Health in Fargo.

James Harold Slater was born on January 9, 1940, in Montevideo, Minnesota the son of Joseph and Helen (Grove) Slater.  He was baptized and confirmed in Wang Lutheran Church of Montevideo and graduated from the Sacred Heart High School in 1958.

He married Janet (Jan) Bettermann on September 16, 1961, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Garfield, Minnesota.  They lived in Brooklyn Park for the first several years of their marriage, and resided in Dayton, Minnesota for 30 years before he retired from working as an engineer for Honeywell, Alliant Tech, and a few other companies, in 2004.  That year, Jim and Jan moved to their home on West Battle Lake, where he continued his “retirement” working part time for 10+ years at Battle Lake Boatworks.

Jim was a humble, loving man whose greatest joys were his family, friends and music.  Jim and Jan have four children, three daughters and one son.  He loved sports, camping, hunting, fishing, traveling and spending time with his family.  He raised his children as he lived his life, with Christ in the center.  After retiring, he and Jan started wintering in Florida, and found another family/community that took him in as their own.  Jim performed with several music groups throughout the years, starting as a young man with “Jerry Roberts and the Toppers”, with a quartet formed through the Brooklyn Park Lion’s Club called the “Decades”, with his brother Duane as the “Slater Brothers”, and most recently in Florida as “Jim Slater, the Singing Snowbird”.  He also used his beautiful voice to praise the Lord with the choirs of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Osseo and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Henning.  His voice will long be remembered; it was his gift from God in which he shared every chance he got- it always brought warmth and smiles to all who heard.

On July 2, 2021, James Slater of Battle Lake died Friday, at Sanford Health in Fargo at the age of 81.

He is survived by his wife, Jan; four children, Julie (Daren) Perteet of Burnsville, Jodi Perrin of Plymouth, Susan DelCastillo of Coon Rapids and Christopher (Elizabeth) Slater of Cincinnati, Ohio; fifteen grandchildren, Amber Bretto, Breanna Higbee, Chad Perrin, Carter Perteet, Kristen (Ty) Rohloff, Britni, Brandi, Bryna, Brook, Brylei and Bradi DelCastillo, Zachariah Slater, Jonte Rhodes, Vanessa Perteet and Donisha Tillman; five great-grandchildren, Alexis and Joey Bretto, Gavyn and Chase Rohloff and Meleah Ford; brother, Duane (Joy) Slater of Gaylord; two sisters, Linda (Jim) French and Betty (Tom) Walz both of Forest Lake; brother-in-law, Donnie Siverhus of Montevideo; and by numerous relatives and friends.  Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Helen Slater; stepmother, Hermina Slater; and sister, Carol Siverhus.

Gifts in Jim’s memory may be given to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Henning (stpaulhenning.net) or Lutheran Island Camp (www.islandcamp.org).

Funeral Service: 11 AM, Thursday, July 8, 2021, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Henning.

Visitation: Wednesday from 4 to 7 PM, with a 6:30 PM Prayer Service, at Glende-Nilson Funeral Home in Battle Lake and one hour prior to the service at the church.

Clergy: Rev. Ron Jobe

Interment: St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery by Garfield.

Funeral Home: Glende-Nilson of Battle Lake.

Condolences:GlendeNilson.Com

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