Graveside services for Marion Rex Slater, Major, U. S. Army Retired, will be held 1:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 23, 2012 at the Colonial Gardens Cemetery under the direction of Downs Funeral Home. Major Slater died May 20, 2012 in Marshall from a heart attack. Major Slater was born March 13, 1918 on a farm near Clarence, MO, the eldest son of Russell A. and Pearl M. Slater. He was educated in schools in Missouri, California, Florida and Montana before joining the California National Guard in 1940, and serving 23 years in the Army before retiring in 1963. Major Slater was involved in heavy combat action during WWII while serving with the 70 Infantry Division in France and Germany. He received a Battlefield Commission on March 11, 1945 at Morange, France during the battle for Saarbrucken. After WWII, Major Slater's army career included service in Korea, Japan, Okinawa and Hawaii. He married Helen Irene Sheerman August 4, 1946 in Madison, MO. She preceded him in death in 1989. He married Cozette Sarrett of Marshall June 1991. A lifetime member of the Trailblazer Association, VFW, National Order of Battlefield Commissions, Battle of the Bulge, the Combat Infantryman Association, and Marshall Lions Club. Major Slater is survived by his wife Cozette; daughter, Sheryl; two step-daughters, Connie Edwards and husband Steve of Frisco and Jan Baker and husband Don of Carrollton; 4 grandchildren; 3 great grandchildren; two sisters, Wilma Slater and Vivian Rodebaugh; 5 nieces and nephews; and a brother, Roger Slater who preceded him in death.