Truman Wentworth “Went” Slitor, 65, of 676 Lakewood Lane, Harvey, entered eternal life early Sunday morning, November 21, 2004, shortly after admittance to Marquette General Hospital.  He had been in ill health for the past eleven months.

Born December 3, 1938 in Waukon, Iowa, a son of Truman Gillette and Gwendolyn Irene (Kelly) Slitor, Went was raised in Waukon and was a 1957 graduate of the Waukon High School.  Following graduation, he enrolled at Cornell College in Mt Vernon, Iowa, receiving his Bachelor of Arts in Geology in 1961, Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa.  He then entered the US Navy Supply Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island, and Athens, Georgia, in preparation for three years duty in the US Navy aboard the USS Saratoga.  Went was honorably discharged with the rank of Lieutenant and returned to college, receiving a Master of Science with emphasis in Geology, from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in 1969.  During this time he was also a graduate assistant Geological lab instructor.

Went moved to the Marquette area in 1967 and began what was to become a 28 year career with the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company.  During his career, he was employed as a senior engineer in mining/geology, acting chief mining engineer, acting pit operating engineer, and mine geologist and exploration geologist.  He retired in 1995 but continued to serve CCI in a consulting capacity for several years.

Went was a member of St. Louis the King Catholic Church in Harvey where he sang in the senior choir and served as a cantor.  He was also a member of the Marquette Male Chorus for 18 years, the Lion’s Club, and the Lawrence Dohndt Council #6447 Knights of Columbus.  Throughout the years, Went received many honors including being chairman of the Upper Peninsula Section of the Society of Mining Engineers, chairman of the MINE Fund Committee, president of Sigma Gamma Epsilon Geology Fraternity, serving as an officer of Sigma XI Research Fraternity, and being a guest lecturer at Northern Michigan University and Michigan Technological University. In his leisure time, Went enjoyed fishing, golfing, hiking, traveling, singing, going to the movies, being a patron of the arts, being an avid Green Bay Packer fan, cross-country skiing, and especially taking walks in the Lower Harbor and along the bike path with his loving wife, Arlene.

A loving and devoted husband, father, proud “papa”, and brother, he is survived by his wife, Arlene (Johnson) Slitor, whom he married February 7, 1970; two daughters, Michelle (William “Ike”) Goodman and daughters, Lauren McKenna and Anna Elise Goodman, of Xenia, OH and Sandra (Mark) Kroll and son, Brendan Emmanuel Kroll, of Gaylord; a sister, Susan (Charles) LeMaster of Charles City, IA; a brother, Jim (Sherry) Slitor of Hobe Sound, FL; his aunt, Lorraine Staub of Franklinton, LA; and several cousins.  Went was preceded in death by his parents; grandparents, among them his special grandmother, Nora Kelly; and his in-laws, Dorothy Johnson Oja and George Oja.

Friends may call at the Fassbender Funeral Home on Tuesday from 4:00 to 8:00 pm and at the church on Wednesday beginning at 10:00 am.  The Marquette Male Chorus will sing at 6:30 pm Tuesday evening at the funeral home, followed by a parish prayer service at 7:45 pm.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 am Wednesday morning, November 24, at St. Louis the King Catholic Church in Harvey with Rev. Ben Paris, pastor, as celebrant, assisted by Deacon David P. Adler and Deacon Scott Jamieson.  A reception for family and friends will follow in the church fellowship hall.  Burial will be made in the Holy Cross Cemetery.  Escorts will be Chuck LeMaster, George Karageorge, Richard Bradley, Charles Peltola, Len Raskin, Chuck Markiewicz, and John Evans.  Memorials may be directed to St. Louis the King Catholic Church in Harvey.
Condolences may be expressed online at www.fassbenderfuneralhome.com