Julie Ann Slaughter

Julie Ann Jefferies Slaughter, aged 74, passed away from natural causes on Monday, November 18, 2019, in Little Rock, Arkansas.

She was born at Providence Hospital in Mobile, Alabama, on December 25, 1944, the only child of Robert Beverly (R. B.) Jefferies and Lorraine Louise Geiger Jefferies of Mobile, Alabama.

Julie Ann attended Semmes Junior High and High Schools, where she was involved in many activities. She was voted Outstanding Sophomore and was a member of Beta Club, as well as holding offices in 4-H Club and the Student Council. She also enjoyed attending Spring Hill Presbyterian Church with her family.

Outside of school, Julie Ann loved her horse, Angel, a favorite gift from her father. She spent many enjoyable days riding horses with her cousin, Buffy. Other favorite past times included swimming and stamp collecting.

Julie Ann was proud to have attended the University of Alabama (Roll Tide), from which she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy, a course of study she likely pursued due to a victorious childhood battle with polio. She was one of the first three students accepted into the University Hospital Physical Therapy Curriculum, in Birmingham, AL, and was a licensed Physical Therapist in the state of Alabama.

During Julie Ann’s college years, her parents, R. B. and Lorraine, settled in Citronelle, a town with deep roots for the Jefferies and where Julie Ann’s grandfather, A. B. Jefferies, was a physician for many years. Julie Ann often traveled home from Tuscaloosa with a friend, Ruth Slaughter. On one such trip, the girls were accompanied by Ruth’s younger brother, Joseph Eugene, which proved fateful.

Julie Ann Jefferies and Joseph Eugene Slaughter were wed on December 23, 1966.

Julie Ann and Joseph Eugene welcomed their first child, Ginger Lynn, on October 30, 1969. At this time, Julie Ann left her career to care for her family, a service to which she devoted herself. Ginger had the roost to herself for six years, during which time the family relocated to Virginia when Joseph Eugene joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

While the family resided in Virginia, Julie Ann gave birth to the family’s second child, Johanna Lorraine. Several years later, she and her family moved to Slidell, LA. Julie Ann began several years worth of commutes back to Citronelle to help her mother care for her father, who struggled with Alzheimer’s until his death.

As her daughters grew up, Julie Ann stayed active in their lives, especially documenting their childhood and young adult years through scrapbooks and handmade albums. She especially enjoyed preparing for Christmas, which, of course, included her birthday and anniversary, making it a triple-threat holiday in the Slaughter household.

After the girls left home and Joseph Eugene retired from the FBI, Julie Ann and he returned to Citronelle. Julie Ann welcomed her first grandchild, Ginger’s daughter, Summer Michelle Anderson, who was the light of Julie Ann’s life, until she was joined by Johanna Lorraine’s first child, Savannah Lorraine; another child to Ginger, Eugene Joseph (EJ); and Johanna Lorraine’s second child, Joshua David. All of these grandchildren would enjoy spending time with Julie Ann and Joseph Eugene at their home in Citronelle.

Julie Ann was preceded in death by her husband and is survived by her daughters and her grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. She will be buried next to her husband and parents in Citronelle on Friday, November 22, with visitation from 1-2pm at Freeman Funeral Home, with a service at 2pm and a brief graveside immediately after.