SLATER, John Frederic

Lakeshore Motuary Mesa, Az. 7 June 2012 John Frederic Slater passed away June 2, 2012 in El Fuerte, Sinaloa, Mexico, while flying his airplane on a goodwill mission for Liga International (Flying Doctors of Mercy). As a devoted volunteer, John transported doctors, nurses and other volunteers to provide free medical care for the poor and will always be remembered as an angel of mercy and hero. John touched many lives personally and professionally with his presence and his infectious laugh; he will be greatly missed by the community as a successful businessman, family man and friend. John was born November 9, 1961 in Tucson, AZ to Eugenia and Albert Slater. John was a loving father, son, brother and papa. Like his father before him, John loved flying and was a private pilot for over 24 years. John is survived by daughters Vanessa Slater-Wingerter and Brooke Slater and their mother Elaine Slater, granddaughter Jordyn Wingerter; his mother Eugenia Slater; sisters Cathie Eroh, Jeanette Ham and Carla Kettrick. Memorial services will be held Saturday, June 9, 2012 at 1:00 pm at St. Matthew United Methodist Church, 2540 W. Baseline Road, Mesa, AZ 85202. A reception will immediately follow. Memorial Serivce Sunday, June 10, 2012 | 11:00a.m. Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist Church 617 Senator Chastain St., Kearny, Arizona 85137 Donations are being accepted in John's honor to the JOHN F SLATER MEMORIAL FUND via the Liga International website at www.ligainternational.org. Flowers may be sent to the church The Arizona Republic Phoenix, Az. 4 June 2012 A Valley businessman who volunteered as a pilot for a humanitarian organization died Saturday in a plane crash in Mexico. John Frederic Slater, 50, was piloting a plane for the Flying Doctors of Mercy when it crashed in Sinaloa, a state in northwestern Mexico. Slater owned Tempe-based Infinity Floor Coverings. The plane took off after 8:30 a.m. from El Fuerte, hit power lines and crashed. Slater died, and three passengers from California were injured. They were identified in news reports as Jacy Brown, Zulia Powers and Liam Guzman. Slater graduated from Ray High School in Kearny. His late father, Bert, owned Napa Auto Parts stores in Kearny and Hayden. John Slater received a mechanical engineering degree from Northern Arizona University in 1983. He went to work for Hughes Aircraft in Tucson. In 1991, he was working for Allied Signal's Garrett Division in Tempe by day and doing flooring business at night. In 1992, he went full time into flooring work during a building boom. Infinity Floor Coverings sells a variety of flooring material. The Flying Doctors of Mercy, also known as LIGA International, treat tens of thousands of patients every year. Volunteers including physicians, surgeons, anesthetists, nurses, audiologists and translators from throughout the world fly from Arizona, California and Nevada to El Fuerte. The organization was founded in 1934.