Daphna Colleen Slaughter

Graveside service for Colleen Slaughter will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday, May 28, 2026, at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Lawton with Rev. Tony Elkins of Geronimo, Oklahoma officiating.

Services are under the direction of the Becker-Rabon Funeral Home.

Daphna Colleen Slaughter, known to most simply as Colleen, passed away peacefully on Friday, May 22, 2026, at McMahon-Tomlinson Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Lawton, Oklahoma, following a short illness. She was 100 years old.

Colleen was born on March 23, 1926, in Las Vegas, New Mexico to Leo Regensberg and Eva Lena Regensberg, whose maiden name was Williams. Her life's journey began with extraordinary hardship when her mother passed away only three days after her birth. She was lovingly raised by her maternal grandparents, Lynn and Martha Jane "Janie" Williams, whose care and guidance helped shape the strong and caring woman she would become.

Colleen lived through a century of remarkable change and did so with grace, resilience, and a love for people that became one of her most defining traits. She truly never met a stranger. She had a natural ability to make people feel welcomed, valued, and at ease, and she built lasting friendships wherever life took her.

She was married to Kenneth Gurley for 42 years. Together they built a life centered around family and hard work and owned Gurley Construction Company in Lawton, Oklahoma, until Kenneth's passing in 1986. She later married Gene Slaughter of Lawton, and they shared 17 years of marriage until his passing in 2005.

Colleen was a longtime resident of Lawton, Oklahoma, and was loved by many throughout her community.

One of the joys she looked forward to most was celebrating her 100th birthday surrounded by family and friends. Sadly, while preparing to attend her birthday celebration, she suffered a fall and broke her ankle and was unable to attend the party that had been planned in her honor. Complications resulting from that injury ultimately led to her passing. Though she was unable to attend the celebration, the love surrounding her throughout her life reflected the spirit of the gathering itself.

She was preceded in death by her husbands, Kenneth Gurley and Gene Slaughter; her parents, Leo and Eva Lena Regensberg; her beloved grandparents, Lynn and Martha Jane "Janie" Williams and daughter-in-law, Cheryl Gurley.

She is survived by her son, David Gurley of Chickasha, Oklahoma; granddaughters Shannon Gurley of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and Wendy Medlin and husband Dr. Mark Medlin of Moore, Oklahoma; great-grandchildren Caroline Medlin of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and David Medlin of Tulsa, Oklahoma; along with many other relatives and friends whose lives she touched through the years.

The family wishes to express their heartfelt appreciation to the staff of McMahon-Tomlinson Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and Memorial Hospice for the care, compassion, kindness, and support shown to Colleen and her family during her final days.

Colleen's life was one of strength, perseverance, kindness, and love. Her century of life leaves behind a legacy carried not only by family, but by all who had the privilege of knowing her. She will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered.