Dorris James Slaughter

Dorris J. Slaughter, 87 year old, died on August 4, 2010 at the Worland Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Worland.

Dorris was born on August 4, 1923 in Alto, TX, to Thomas and “Jimmie” (White) James. She was the younger of two girls. She and her sister Dorothy grew up in Dallas, Texas, sharing everything from toys to clothes to bicycles. Dorris and Dorothy were often seen in their neighborhood riding a single bike, with Dorothy pedaling and Dorris riding on the handlebars. An avid ice dancer during high school, Dorris performed at a local ice arena located in the bottom of a downtown hotel. As Homecoming Queen she was the envy of many a boy, eventually winning the heart of 2nd Lt Charles W. Slaughter, of Brownsville, Florida, while he was stationed in Galveston, Texas.

She and Charles married in 1944. She gave birth to three children: John, of Bellingham, Washington; Belinda of Ten Sleep, Wyoming; and Bob of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Many years she volunteered for the Red Cross and the Air Force Officer’s Wives Club. Dorris devoted numerous years to the causes of others asking nothing in return. Following her husband’s career in the Air Force, Dorris gave selflessly and tirelessly to others without ever being asked.

Upon her husband’s retirement from the Air Force in 1971, the Slaughter family settled in Rapid City, South Dakota. True to her calling she again volunteered for several years at the local Dahl Fine Arts Center.

She loved to cook, bake, ski, golf, and travel. After her husband’s death in 1995 she traveled to Europe several times.

Dorris was preceded in death by her father, John Thomas James, in 1953, her mother “Jimmie” in 1992, and her husband, Charles, a decorated World War II and Korean War veteran, in 1995.

She touched the heart of almost everyone she met. A nicer woman never walked the face of the earth.