Gloria Elaine (Mann) Slaughter

On November 3rd, 2022, Gloria Elaine Mann Slaughter departed from this life to begin her next great adventure. And while it is not what any of her devoted family and fan club wanted for her (or for us), we all know with Gloria, you lead, follow or get out of the way. 

Always proud of her Western Kentucky roots, Gloria was born on October 28, 1951 to the late Dr. Clyde Ernest Mann and Mrs. Geraldine Marcella Stoltz Mann in Owensboro KY where she could often be found climbing trees and skinning her knees in her Sunday church clothes much to the dismay of her prim and proper older sister, Susan (Mann) Sauls.

She moved to Lexington, KY as a young adult, where she bluffed her way through an interview and landed a job in the art department of BloodHorse, a magazine about thoroughbred racehorses, despite having no prior training in graphics or design. When later asked how she was able to do the job, if she didn’t yet have the skills, she shrugged and said, “I showed up, paid attention and figured it out”. “Fake it ‘til you make it,'' she'd say. Gloria continued to show up and figure things out as she went for the rest of her life. 

After moving to Atlanta, Gloria got a job designing ads in the art department of Apartment Scene Magazine, where she met a handsome, affable ad salesman named Wiley Slaughter. Legend has it she set her sights on him and hotly pursued him. She won his heart and eventually Wiley and Gloria married in 1979. They grew their family and Gloria then began to execute her master plan. She raised her children, training them in the creative arts and with her relentless work ethic so that one day she could trust them enough to work for her in any one of her many entrepreneurial endeavors. 

And it wasn’t just her own three she mothered and mentored. If she saw talent and work ethic in you, you got her respect and she would help clear a path for you. She would teach you and lift you up so that you could make your own way. Just ask anyone who ever worked for her. She collected people to bring home for holiday meals. She hosted prom and homecoming afterparties for her kids’ friends. She made her home a safe space. She was a bonus mama to anyone who needed a little extra love and care, often developing close enough relationships that her children’s friends would visit and get love from her any time they needed.

Gloria was a fundraising powerhouse and could generate money for any organization she shined her light and talent upon. She taught her daughter’s 5th grade class how to write articles, take photographs, design layouts, and sell enough ad space in a school newspaper to fund class field trips to Washington, DC and New Orleans. She redesigned the branding for her son’s soccer league and sold all the branded goods at the games and tournaments. 

She loved theme parties, costumes and silly pranks. She convinced her entourage to show up at formal fundraising galas for the Arthritis Foundation dressed as the cast of movies: Gone with the Wind one year and The Wizard of Oz the next. While the rest of the guests thought they had gone all out in their tuxedos and formal gowns, her crew made the cover of the Living section of the Atlanta Journal & Constitution. Gloria knew how to stand out from the crowd. 

Her favorite costume wig was titled the “Showgirl Deluxe”. Just for kicks on the weekend she would don the wig, some dark glasses and ridiculous tacky clothes and show up at neighborhood yard sales dressed as her alter ego “Betty Lorraine”. She’d lurk around, stealing the merchandise and silently daring anyone to approach and confront this strangely dressed eccentric woman.

Gloria infused sparkle and flair into every corner of her life. Rather than find upholstery fabric that matched her decorating vision, she painted it herself … same with the kitchen floor. Rather than just decorate a Christmas tree, she spray painted the tree in gold and glitter and then decorated it. Her kids got used to being surrounded by her projects. It was no big deal to come home from a weekend sleepover to find a koi pond in the backyard that hadn’t been there before. Or mosaics made from broken pottery crafted all over previously blank walls. If she was mowing the lawn, she did it with zigzag patterns because it was prettier and more fun. 

Gloria was fierce and loyal and ready to fight for her people. If ever there were a time a person needs a powerful advocate it’s during childbirth. Inspired by her own experiences giving birth and a formative experience when a stranger in need saw her strength and reached out, Gloria trained to be a childbirth doula and spent several years attending births and supporting women during such a vulnerable time. She was honored to be able to revive her doula practice and support her own daughter when her two children were born. 

After a 20+ year graphic design career and the life of empty-nesters on the horizon, Gloria & Wiley started thinking about what they wanted to build in the next chapter of their lives. A bed and breakfast seemed like fun, so they started looking around. A short while later Wiley and Gloria toured a lovingly-restored historic home for sale in Siloam, Georgia and fell in love. This was their new home. 

While a B&B was her first idea for this space, armed with years of life experience, business acumen, and her innate creativity, she asked the home and the community to tell her what to make next. So the Washington Grass Inn wasn't just a B&B and it wasn’t just a wedding venue. If you came to Gloria for a wedding or an event, you got the food, the floral arrangements, the photography, the decor, you got the best event coordinator, the coolest head in a crisis, the most innovative problem solver, and most of all you got the best of her love and care. And she gave the best of herself again and again. She gave herself to the community of Greene County and became the one so many people trusted to help them make the most important memories of their lives. 

In the home she and Wiley built for their retirement, Gloria designed the arts and crafts studio of her dreams. Left to explore the wall to wall boxes of craft supplies and half finished projects are her three adult children Paul DeHaven of Decatur, Kip Hardy (Brian Hardy) of Decatur and Cason Slaughter (Lauren Slaughter) of Greensboro. Gloria was a devoted “Gigi” to her beloved grandchildren Bella and Zach DeHaven, Donovan and Marin Hardy, and Rainier, Everest, Andes Gunni, and Beau Slaughter and an exceedingly cool Aunt Glo to her nieces, Mischelle (Cox) Williams and Marianne (Cox) Smith. 

Donations in Gloria’s memory may be made to Ferst Readers, P. O. Box 111, Greensboro, GA 30642 and The Artisans Village. 

We will celebrate the life of this extraordinary woman on Saturday, January 14, 2023 at 11:00 AM at Lakeside Church, 5800 Lake Oconee Pkwy, Greensboro, GA 30642 with Rev. Jay Reber officiating. The family will receive friends from 10:00 AM until the service begins. Gloria once scoffed at having to wear a gray suit for a business affair; she begrudgingly wore it but decorated the lapel with every brooch and pin in her collection to make sure she stood out. Gloria would be disappointed if her celebration of life was sad and somber. Please plan to come wearing any and all bright colors, feathers, glitter, rhinestones, sequins, and sparkles you can find.

McCommons Funeral Home, 109 W Broad St, Greensboro, GA 706-453-2626 is handling arrangements. Visit www.mccommonsfuneralhome.com to sign the online guest register. 

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