John F. Slater Funeral Home

03/16/2026

We hope you have this on your calendar. Our Lunch and Learns with Todd fill up quickly. Please call or email to register.

03/11/2026

Grievers get called resilient all the time.
And while resilience is real, it often misses something important.

It can miss the pain.
The tenderness.
The fragility that lives right alongside it.

Grief is not either/or.
We can be resilient and fragile at the same time.
Strong in one moment, undone in the next.
Different in different settings, with different people.

Resilience doesn’t mean we’re not hurting.
It means we’re still here, feeling it all.

Have others expected you to always be strong, or told you how strong you look?

03/11/2026

Today, we proudly recognize National Funeral Director Day and honor our funeral directors who serve family with care, dignity, and unwavering dedication.

We extend our deepest gratitude to our team and funeral directors everywhere for the meaningful work they do each and every day.

02/26/2026

Don't forget to register for our preplanning dinner. Bring your questions and your appetite!

02/13/2026

Today was special. Grief is isolating and it is universal. Today we chose to be together. Thank you Eric Horwith, MSW, LSW for sharing your grief story: Grief Exists Because Love Persists Navigating Life After Loss. Delicious food was provided by Party Line Catering, and special thank you to Celebration Villa of South Hills for being a co-sponsor of todays program.

02/06/2026

This is gold!

We all come from a long line of ancestors who have all died.
Grief is organic.
It’s built into us.
We already know how to grieve.
Our bodies know what to do.
Our hearts know what to do.
What often gets in the way is society.
It tells us we’re grieving too much…
or not enough.
Too fast…
or too slow.
It tells us there’s a right way to grieve.
But there isn’t.
Grief has its own intelligence.
Its own timing.
Its own rhythm.
When we stop fighting it, grief can lead us where we need to go.
Not away from the pain, but through it.
How have you let grief lead you?

02/05/2026

Doesn't a hot, catered meal sound good during this endless winter? Join us for our casual and informational Dine & Learn.

01/21/2026

There are only a few seats left at our popular Valentine's Day (ish) luncheon. Please call 412-881-4100 to reserve your seat.

12/24/2025

12/24/2025

“because Christmas has a way of sharing joy and loss in the same breath.”

Some smiles carry tears at Christmas…
You may not see them,
but they’re there—
tucked quietly behind laughter,
wrapped gently inside gratitude.

Because Christmas has a way
of holding joy and loss
in the same breath.

We smile at the tree,
even as we remember
who once helped decorate it.
We laugh at the table,
even as we notice
which chair sits empty now.

Christmas doesn’t forget.
It remembers for us.

It brings back voices
we haven’t heard in years,
recipes written in familiar handwriting,
songs that still know our story
by heart.

There are moments
when happiness catches in the throat—
when joy arrives carrying names
we still miss.

And yet…
we gather anyway.

We light the candles.
We say the prayers.
We pass the plates
and tell the stories
one more time.

Because love doesn’t disappear
when people do.
It stays.
It lingers.
It fills rooms in quieter ways.

So if you see tears behind a Christmas smile,
don’t rush to fix them.

They are not signs of brokenness.
They are proof of love
that mattered deeply.

Christmas doesn’t ask us
to choose between joy and grief.
It invites them both to the table.

And somehow,
in that sacred space—
between memory and miracle—
we find ourselves grateful
for every moment we were given.

Some smiles carry tears at Christmas.
And that’s not weakness.

That’s love
remembering how to show up.

12/22/2025

Luminaries for the Winter Solstice. Even the longest night has light.