Idella Windom, 90, got her wings and went to heaven to walk with the angels on March 16, 2020 after a brief illness. Idella was born December 9, 1929, in Little Rock, Arkansas to the late Reverend Willie Davis and Evelyn (Blair) Evans. In 1936, she moved to Fort Wayne with her late sister, Annie Mae Muff and her late stepfather, Ashley Evans. Idella married the late Ulice Windom on August 12, 1950.
As a young woman she accepted Jesus as her personal savior. First and foremost she was a loving and devoted Christian mother. She adored her 3 children: Lawanda, Gregory, and Glenn. Idella treasured her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and her great-great-grandchild.
She started her teaching career in the Head Start Program in 1965, retiring in 1998 after 33 years of service. Following her retirement, she received several awards, including a proclamation from Paul Helmke, then the Mayor of Fort Wayne, where he proclaimed May 22, 1998 as Idella Windom Day in Fort Wayne. On June 18, 1998, she received a letter from Mark Souder, then Indiana Congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives. Mr. Souder arranged to have a U.S. flag flown over the capitol building in Washington D.C. to honor and commemorate Idella's dedication to the many children she taught in Fort Wayne. On June 22, 1998, then Indiana Governor Frank O'Bannon declared her a Distinguished Hoosier and presented her with a plaque to indicate this award.
Idella traveled extensively, including visiting almost every state in the United States. She took the California Zephyr train from Chicago to San Francisco, which is one of the most beautiful train trips in all of North America. She cruised through all the Hawaiian Islands and most of the Caribbean Islands. She spent weeks in Rome and London. Her travels also included spending time in Israel where she was able to follow the footsteps of Jesus as well as walk the stories of the Bible. The highlight of all her journeys was to be baptized in the Jordan River.
She leaves to remember her extraordinary life to her 3 children, 6 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandchild, as well as many other relatives, neighbors, students, exercise and travel buddies, and a host of loving friends.
At Idella's request, she was granted a private service and burial. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to her grandson's church, Broadmoor Community Church, Summer Youth Camp, 2021 S. Dupre St. New Orleans, LA 70125, the Reverend Gregory Manning, Senior Pastor. FairHaven Funeral Home and Cremation Services is handling arrangements.