Thomas Slager

Thomas Leonard Slager, 86, of Washington Court House, Ohio, passed away peacefully at his home on Sunday, March 1, 2026, surrounded by his family. Born on August 6, 1939, in Bloomingburg, Ohio, to Leonard Clarence and Eunice Carolyn Thomas Slager, Tom was a 1957 graduate of Bloomingburg High School and remained a lifelong resident of Fayette County. From his early days working on the family farm to his later years, he approached life with energy and purpose. After high school, where he served as yearbook editor and basketball team manager, he delivered milk for Sagers Dairy, later delivered 7-Up, and volunteered as a firefighter in Washington Court House. In the 1960s, he founded Tom’s Carpet Service, providing installation and cleaning services across Fayette County and surrounding areas for three decades. Upon retirement, he became custodian at Sunnyside Kindergarten in the Washington City school system, serving for 15 years until 2008. Even then, he continued working, making deliveries for two local companies throughout Ohio and neighboring states.

Tom was a devoted member of WCH Grace Methodist Church, Fayette Lodge #107 F.&A.M., the Valley of Columbus Scottish Rite 32nd Degree Masons for 65 years, Aladdin Temple Shrine in Columbus, the Washington Shrine Club, and Fayette Aerie #423 of the Fraternal Order of Eagles. He served in the Ohio National Guard and was a member of Paul H. Hughey Post #25 of the American Legion, O.E. Hardway Post #3762 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Fayette County Honor Guard. He found joy in dancing, water skiing, roller skating, bowling, playing cards, traveling, camping, boating, and fishing. A lifelong Reds baseball fan and dedicated animal lover, he took special pride in supporting his family’s education, watching with deep satisfaction as his children and grandchildren earned degrees from Otterbein University, Denison University, Adrian College, Capital University, and Mount Vernon Nazarene University. He cherished family gatherings, holidays, and milestones, and quietly helped those in need in his community by offering shelter and support.

He was preceded in death by his father in 1988, his mother in 2008, the mother of his children, Lucinda Sue (Cinda) Schlichter Slager, in 2017, and his companion Phyllis Newlan in 2022. Tom is survived by his daughters, Jennifer J. Pearce and her husband, Bill, of Pinehurst, North Carolina, and Dr. Amanda M. Pickerill and her husband, Craig, of Clintonville, Ohio; his grandchildren, Meghan (Will) Lull of Arlington, Virginia, Morgan (Levi) Pearce of Bristol, Tennessee, Maria Pickerill of Columbus, Gabriel Pickerill of Columbus (currently living in China), and Toby Pickerill of Clintonville; and close family members Anne and Steve Schlichter of Grandview, Ohio.