Obituary of Sarah Leigh Slocum

Sarah Leigh Slocum, 35, of Gilmer, Texas, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, April 26, 2017. Born on April 4, 1982 in Longview, Texas, she was the daughter of Betty Slocum and the late Fred Slocum, who grew up in Cooksburg. Sarah was a gifted gardener and well known for her love of all animals. She raised and trained bloodhounds and served on a search and rescue team in East Texas. She loved spending time with her horses, dogs and other creatures, great and small. She competed in numerous equestrian events and rodeos over the years, but mostly enjoyed riding her horses at home on the family farm in Gilmer. Following in her grandmother Violet's footsteps in serving as a voluntary EMT, Sarah was pursuing a degree with Kilgore College to become a paramedic. She loved her training with the Kilgore College Emergency Medical Services program and was currently working on passing her EMT National Board Certification. She very much enjoyed her training within hospitals, fire departments and ambulance services and was excited about her future career. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Gilmer, trained and worked with the Van Zandt County Bloodhound Team and helped with numerous animal rescue groups. Sarah is survived by her mother, Betty Slocum of Gilmer, Texas; sister, Julie Slocum of Arlington, Virginia and brother, Jeffrey Slocum of Gilmer, Texas. She is also survived by several aunts, uncles and cousins. Sarah was preceded in death by her father, Fred Howard Slocum; brother, Mark William Slocum and grandparents, Roy and Violet Slocum and William and Bessie Steele. Visitation will be held on Saturday, May 6, 2017 from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. at the Borland Funeral Home, Inc. in Leeper. Additional viewing will be on Sunday, May 7 from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the funeral home. A funeral service will be held immediately following at 2:00 p.m. with Rev. Jonathan Bell, pastor of Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, officiating. Interment will follow in the Cooksburg Cemetery.