East Bay community leader John Slatten dies at 90

Aug. 29--John Slatten, a consummate volunteer who over the years worked tirelessly to bring quality medical resources to East Contra Costa County, died Wednesday at his home in Antioch. He was 90.

When Slatten was growing up, East Contra Costa had no hospitals, so over the years he worked hard to improve the community's options in medical care. The former Brentwood farmer was a longtime member of the now-defunct Delta Memorial Hospital Foundation, serving both as board chairman and president.

"John left a legacy driven from giving back, compassion, integrity, honesty and caring," said Tim Bouslog, Sutter Delta Medical Center's assistant administrator. "He played a critical role in several capital campaign fundraisers that assisted in several expansions and additions to Sutter Delta Medical Center."

Along with the Vesper Society, Slatten also spearheaded efforts to build an Antioch community clinic for low-income residents and helped secure money to buy new medical equipment and improve Sutter Delta's emergency room and its women's health care center.

"John was an advocate of giving back to (his) community," Bouslog said. "Over several summers, John also helped several local Boy Scouts earn their Eagle Scout honors by pulling together several garden projects at Sutter Delta Medical Center."

And while many know of Slatten through his volunteer efforts, which included decades with the Brentwood Lions Club and years of running the popular Carnique July Fourth festival in Brentwood, many more associated him with the major shopping center that he proposed and is named after him, Slatten Ranch, the first of such retail centers in the area. His parents, and later Slatten and his brothers, had owned and operated an apricot orchard at the site, and he later worked to have the land annexed into Antioch.

Slatten grew up on the farm, the son of Norwegian immigrants, and attended a one-room schoolhouse, Lone Tree School, in Brentwood. His friend of nearly nine decades, Dewey DeMartini, said he was an exceptional student who helped others in the small room divided by a rolling chalkboard where students in several grades learned side by side.

"He was a heck of a nice guy," DeMartini said. "He was community-minded and helped in many things in both communities (Brentwood and Antioch)."

A longtime Brentwood Lions member, Slatten also led efforts to build a Lions community center on Walnut Boulevard several decades ago, which is now leased to a preschool.

The lanky, larger-than-life figure was honored as Citizen of the Year by both Brentwood and Antioch. Slatten was always the gentleman, gracious and polite, his friends and family said.

"He was very likable," DeMartini said. "I have never seen John upset or mad my whole life and I knew him since grammar school."

Daughter Emily, who for 21 years worked in her dad's Antioch insurance business, East County Insurance Agency, said her dad labored long hours and never retired, slowing down only in the last few years when his health deteriorated and he struggled with vascular dementia.

Slatten loved his work because he got to meet and talk with lots of people, his daughter said, noting he was a big dog lover and always brought his wire-haired fox terrier to work with him.

He also made it his goal to make his customers happy, she said, noting he would spend considerable time talking with them.

"It was almost his mission to calm people down and keep things on a nice level," Emily Slatten said. "He liked being involved in everything and knowing what was going on."

When wife Carol was still living, Slatten also hosted a number of political events and fundraisers, she said. But in later years, besides working, he mainly tended to his rose bushes.

Besides Emily, Slatten leaves behind a son, Charles (Sherri) Slatten, of Antioch, two grandchildren, Dana (Slatten) Miller and Eric Slatten, and numerous other relatives. He was preceded in death by his wife of more than 58 years, Carol, in 2008.

Services are pending.

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