William (Bill) D. Slater, Jr. of San Antonio, Texas passed away July 20, 2025, at the age of 62, surrounded by his family after a long and difficult battle with Cancer. Bill dedicated his life to impacting the people of his community; local and regional law enforcement; and students of his Self Defense and Firearms Training Academy, Handgun Safety Training Corporation, founded in San Antonio in 1995. His passion for education, safety, awareness, and personal protection made an impact on the San Antonio area that will be felt by many for many years to come. Although Bill is gone in body, his deep commitment and care for his community and his impact will endure through those he'd interacted with in his personal and professional life.
He is survived by his children, Katelyn Gillespie and her husband Dustin; Brian Slater and wife Lindsay; grandchildren Averie, Haidyn, Harleigh, and Wiatt Gillespie, and Ashton Slater; his mother Marie Slater; brother, Kevin (Linda) Slater; sister, Cathy McIntyre; sister, Barbara Kopp; brother, John (Beth) Slater; brother, Michael Slater.
He is preceded in death by his father William David Slater, Sr.
A Celebration of Life is being planned for June 2026 in San Antonio, Texas to coincide with Gun Violence Awareness month as this is a cause that meant a lot to him.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations in his name to Project ChildSafe. Project ChildSafe is the largest and most comprehensive firearm safety education program in the US. Launched in 1999, it is the official firearm safety program of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearm industry, with the goal to provide a real firearm safety solution for every community.
