of Cabot, AR
October 15, 2025 - October 19, 2025
Bobby J. Slagley of Cabot, Arkansas was born on October 15, 1950, at Newport Hospital in Newport, Arkansas. He was the first child born to Wylie Devurn and Vinita Slagley.
Bob grew up in Swifton, Arkansas, where his parents and most of his family were farmers. He graduated from Swifton High School in 1968. Bob was also a graduate of the Missionary Baptist Seminary in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he was later privileged to teach for seven years. Bob also attended UALR in Little Rock where he studied American Sign Language. He had a love for and fellowship with Deaf people. He wanted the gospel to touch the hearts of those in the Deaf community and his youngest son, Jeremy, was deaf.
Bob, Jan, and Jonathan along with many other family members learned sign language to communicate with Jeremy. Bob always said that he felt God used Jeremy's life to show him a ministry he would have never known about. He preached to a congregation of the Deaf at Antioch Baptist Church in Little Rock for thirty-four years. He was also privileged to work with the hearing church at Antioch as an associate pastor during this time. Bob also did some short-term mission work in Honduras.
Bob met the love of his life, Jan Hulen, in the summer of 1968. After dating for two years, they were married at the Swifton Baptist Church on July 31, 1970. They were married for 55 years. God blessed them with two wonderful sons, Jonathan and Jeremy.
Bob was a family man and greatly enjoyed spending time with his family. He also enjoyed hunting, fishing, gardening, and reading. He especially loved his trout fishing on the Little Red River in Heber Springs. He had many good fish stories through the years, and like most fisherman, Bob said some of his stories were really true!
Bob accepted Christ as his Savior when he was twenty-two years old. A few years after he accepted Christ as his Savior, he felt a call to preach the Gospel. In January of 1977, Bob, Jan and Jonathan moved to Little Rock so he could attend the Missionary Baptist Seminary and while working with Antioch Baptist Church, he was privileged to teach at the Seminary for seven years.
Bob served in ministry for over fifty years. Beginning his ministry in January 1975. He served as pastor at Hickory Grove Missionary Baptist Church near Newport and Antioch Baptist Church near Perryville, AR. He was later the Pastor to the Deaf at Antioch Baptist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas where he served for 34 years. He also served on the Pastoral Staff for the hearing church of Antioch and was a member of Faith Baptist Church in Cabot, Arkansas at the time of his death.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Wylie Devurn and Vinita Slagley; stepmother, Rhonda Slagley; son, Jeremy Slagley; brother, Tommy Lynn Slagley; in-laws, Walter and Eva Hulen and brother-n-law, Howard Hulen.
Survivors include his wife of 55 years, Jan Slagley; one son, Jonathan Slagley (Grace) of North Little Rock, AR; stepbrothers, Barry Abney (Amy) of Salem, AR and Duane Slagley (Trisha) of Hot Springs, AR and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.
A visitation will begin at 11:00am with funeral services at 12:00pm on Friday, October 24, 2025, at Antioch Baptist Church in Little Rock with Brother Richard Hamlin, David Wright and Bill Simmons all officiating. Entombment will follow at Forest Hills Memorial Park in Alexander, Arkansas
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the church or charity of your choice.