Kenneth Austin Slater, 81, of Jasper, Arkansas died May 23, 2026 at Washington Regional Hospice, Fayetteville, AR after a short illness. He was born March 10, 1945 in Los Angeles, California to John Austin Slater and Shirley (Case) Slater.

In his career for the U.S. Forest Service, Ken was known for being someone who would stand up for what was right. He’d also back you as a supervisor if you had done things right and were in a bind.

But Ken also had a lively sense of humor and greeted people with a “Howdy!” when meeting them. He started out as a Forester and worked on many of the Forests in California over the years. He once saved a church camp on the Sequoia National Forest when a major wildfire broke out by his quick response taking charge and mobilizing resources quickly.

In later years, he came to the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest to finish out his career as the Ecosystem Staff Officer in Russellville, Arkansas overseeing both the Timber program as well as the Fisheries and Wildlife Staff.

Ken was proud of his service in the military with the Army’s 82nd Airborne. His time in Vietnam marked him as it did many others, and he was awarded the Bronze Star for the dangerous work he did with demolitions.

One of Ken’s passion’s was working on and driving his old hotrods. He favored Ford Model A’s, but had other vintage models as well. But his pride was his 1972 Ford Ranger 4-wheel drive that he bought brand new and kept all the rest of his life.

His love of cars led him to lead an off-line racing league for years. His racing computer was outfitted complete with a steering wheel and pedals and he spent many hours racing at favorite race tracks across the country.

Ken was also a lifetime Master Gardener and provided judging at county fairs as well as writing a column for the Master Gardener’s newsletter in Russellville describing the qualities of the trees of Arkansas.

He is survived by his wife Jan Self, of Jasper; his sister Kathy Nielsen and husband Ted; his nephew Mark; niece Debbie Newland and husband Brian, and their children.

A private memorial will be held at a later date. For further information you can email: getinfo1234@mailbox.org