Obituary

Nathan was born in Burien, Washington on February 6, 1978 to Christy and Clyde Slaton. He was the youngest of four, with older siblings Dave, Bob, and Michelle. Nate is survived by his wife Debbie L. Sutterman (Bellingham, WA), his son Nathan R. Slaton Jr. (Ferndale, WA), parents Christy and Steve Smiley (Ferndale, WA), father Clyde M. Slaton (Rule, TX), brother Dave Kovac (Spokane, WA), brother Robert Duranceau (Monroe, WA), sister Michelle Duranceau (Seattle, WA), and a huge loving family throughout Washington State and Texas along with many friends who will miss him.

He was a daredevil and always game for anything. He loved spending time at the ocean beaches and especially loved his travels to Hawaii where he caught his first tuna. His interests were varied, extending from his son’s sports endeavors to following professional sports – football to be specific. He loved photography and throughout the years would dabble in that hobby—some of which you will see displayed in the reception after his memorial service. Motorcycle riding, unicycle riding, baseball card collecting, rock hounding, and rattlesnake trapping were all things that demanded his full attention at different times in his life. He moonwalked to Michael Jackson, fished avidly in Kauai, and loved hiking Mt. Baker. Nate lived life to the fullest and left us with many stories to remember him by.

He had such a big heart. Family, friend, or stranger, Nate was there to help. If he had a few dollars in his pocket, he would give it to someone less fortunate or buy them a sandwich if they hadn’t eaten. Once, at McDonald’s, there was an error in the order. McDonald’s had refunded the cost of the meal. As they left, he encountered someone less fortunate asking for money. He gladly gave the person the $10.00 refund and said, “I was going to spend this on lunch anyway.”

Not only was that big heart for people, he loved animals. Nate’s grandfather was also an animal lover; it runs in the family. His grandparents lived in Eastern Washington and he along with his siblings and cousins spent a lot of time together there. The realities of farming and animals had to be slowly introduced to Nate. After many years of raising beef on their property, that all ended the summer he tamed the latest 2 steers, Moose and Charley. He could walk to the fence, call to them and they would come. The tradition of raising their own beef came to an end that year when Grandpa just couldn’t butcher those steers, and he had to sell them instead. Nate and Debbie loved their animals so much; they had Princess, a rescue kitten, and Gunner, a large chocolate lab, registered as service animals so they could take them when they traveled. If Nate couldn’t travel with his pets, he probably wasn’t going.

He was a lover of life and all it entailed. He loved Debbie, he loved his family and friends, of which he included his animals, and he loved the less fortunate. His love has extended beyond his life and will continue on through those fortunate enough to have received the gift of sight and benefited through the Organ Donation Program. Donations are encouraged to be made to The Lighthouse Mission in Bellingham, WA in Nate’s memory.

A celebration of Nathan’s life will be held on Friday, March 9, 1:00pm at Moles Farewell Tributes – Bellingham.