Idaleene Fuqua

On December 15, 2025, avid traveler and Denton County and Texas historian, Idaleene “Slipper” Scheu Fuqua, passed away at the age of 102 in Denison, Texas. Given the nickname “Slipper” by co-workers at American Airlines during World War II because her last name was pronounced “shoe”, Idaleene traveled widely across the US and Europe, Mexico, and the Bahamas, however, her heart remained steadfastly devoted to Texas. Continuously curious about state, town, and family histories, Idaleene drew upon her own familial past in “Songs of Sanger,” a newspaper column she wrote for several years for the Sanger Courier. She remained vital and vigorous until her late 90s with one of her most cherished projects being the erection of a Santa Fe Railroad historical marker in Sanger. She was an avid reader, movie-goer, and patron of her local public libraries, a devotion that she passed on to her only child, Dr. Joy Van (JV) Fuqua, PhD. Idaleene was born on October 25, 1923 in Wayne, Oklahoma to Fred H. and Ida Christine Scheu. She was the eldest child who was soon accompanied by brother Freddy, Jr. Both children were born at home by kerosene oil lamp light - a humble home without electricity and indoor plumbing. Idaleene often remarked that she was a vanishing ethnicity, German on both sides of her family, second-generation American, U.S. citizen and one hundred percent Texan. She was a direct descendant of the only Wendish Colony ever established in North America, established in 1854 in Serbin, Texas. The family soon relocated from Wayne to Sanger, Texas where her father, Fred, was the Santa Fe Railroad station master for several decades that spanned the Great Depression and World War II. Fred was a veteran of The Great War (World War I); he received a Purple Heart for his bravery and his wounds. Idaleene often told a story about meeting Eleanor Roosevelt, the First Lady, on a whistle-stop train tour in the 1930s. After graduation from Sanger High School in 1941, Idaleene worked at Russell’s Department Store in Denton while she attended North Texas State Teacher’s College (before it eventually became the University of North Texas). She stopped her university studies to assist in the care of her father, however, her desire to pursue a career in the travel industry proved strong enough to prompt her to apply for a job with American Airlines. In 1945, while World War II was coming to a close, she was hired by American Airlines to be trained as a reservationist and ticket agent. Her training took her to New York City and the borough of Queens; at this point, she knew she had found her career path in the travel industry. While in this new job and back in Dallas, Idaleene developed strong friendships with many coworkers. Daily, she made telephone reservations directly with Hollywood stars and other famous folks including John Wayne, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Cary Grant. She was an avid bowler on the American Airlines bowling team in Oak Cliff. Among her friends was a young woman named Alvina Wehring with whom she shared an apartment and a later love for poodles. During the early 1950s, Idaleene met and wed her first husband Merle Weaver, of Waco. They were divorced after a short time. However, her brother Freddy introduced to her second husband, Dr. Mack C. Fuqua, PhD. Mack and Idaleene were married in August, 1959 as he started the PhD program in Agricultural Sciences at Texas A&M and she became a travel agent with Robert Halsell Travel Service in Bryan, Texas. Their only child, Joy Van Fuqua, was born to the couple in 1962. For a few years, Idaleene gave up her career to be a full-time wife and mother. The family moved to from College Station to Lubbock, Seymour, and finally to Overton, Texas, following Mack’s work for Texas A&M University Research and Extension Service. Idaleene was an avid reader who patronized many public libraries in Texas; she believed strongly in curiosity, the power of the written word, and the role of literacy, education, and art in society. Idaleene was, moreover, forthright and never demur– she would tell you exactly what was on her mind with nary a nod to consequence. Whether it was performing on stage with Shirley Banks as Carol Burnett Show-inspired cleaning ladies at the Parents and Teachers Association showcase in Seymour, Texas or recommending clients switch tour packages, Idaleene approached life with seriousness and always a dose of levity. She was at heart a prankster. In the 1970s, before texting and email, if she visited a friend who was not at home, Idaleene would stack outdoor chairs, plant pots, pans, whatever she could find, and place this arrangement by the back door. That was a sure sign that Idaleene had stopped by! In the late 1970s, as her second marriage was ending, she was looking ahead as she received her certification as a travel agent/consultant through a course at Wellesley College in 1984. She continued to work as a travel agent in Tyler, Waco, Denton, and Sherman well into her early 80s; her career spanned 57 years. Out of necessity as much as love for her work, Idaleene was a knowledgeable businesswoman who brought her lived travel experience in Europe to her clients. She talked fondly of many of her clients and they also held her in high esteem. She demonstrated personalized care for her of her clients’ travel desires – a talent that is very much lacking in today’s impersonal, internet-driven travel industry. Idaleene was a charter member of the DC-3 Coalition of Flagship Knoxville of the C.R. Smith American Airlines Aviation Museum. The late A.C. Green of the Dallas Morning News called Idaleene “a true historian”. Her historical documentation work is in a number of Texas museums: The University of Texas Restoration at Winedale, Wendish Museum at Serbin, Waco Historical Society for Women, The Cell Block Museum in Hillsboro - Denton Historical Commission (Texas Historical Commission, Austin, Texas). She noted that her proudest accomplishment was the establishment of the State of Texas plaque commemorating the establishment of a water stop and cattle loading facility at 392.16 in 1884 that would become Sanger, Texas. She was a charter member of the Sanger Area Historical Society and served on the archives committee. She wrote a historical column for the Sanger Courier for eight years - a total of 416 entries that are now in the archives of the Sanger Museum. She was preceded in death by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Fred H. Scheu of Waco, her brother Fred Jr. and wife Billie of Richardson, her beloved cousins Pauline Alpha, Carolyn Helton, Walter Ender, aunts, and uncles including Olga and Reinholdt Ender. She is survived by her only child, Joy Van (JV) Fuqua of New York City and New Mexico; her nephew Chris Don Scheu and family of Richardson; Nicki Helton, Stacey Helton and family of Ft. Worth, and many life-long friends such as Jim and Shirley Banks and family of Iowa Park; Kevin Turner of Dallas and his husband the late Bill McCool of Dallas; the Barnes family of Pottsboro; Reverend Virgie Holbrook and family, and many others. Idaleene was cared for, additionally, by the staff of Beacon Hill Nursing Center in Denison where she resided for the last several years. Spiritually, Idaleene was of the Presbyterian persuasion and politically, after being a Republican for most of her adult life, she volunteered for President Barack Obama’s campaigns and became a proud card-carrying Democrat and member of PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). Remembrances and donations may be made to the Sanger Area Historical Museum or Sanger Educational Foundation for Faculty Advancement. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.