Ida Mae Foster Waite of El Dorado, Kansas, died Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at the age of 100 years. Born September 29, 1921 to Lloyd and Myrtle Mitchell Foster, she was a lifelong resident of El Dorado. Ida Mae was precocious and bright. She skipped 7th grade, graduated from El Dorado High School at 16 and El Dorado Junior College at 18.

Her love of music permeated her activities throughout her life. In addition to playing piano, she was an accomplished clarinetist. She dreamed of being a teacher, but in 1937 at the El Dorado Library she met Noble Victor Waite and changed her future.

After a courtship of several years, they married on June 30, 1940 and had two sons, David Alan and Stephen Lee who added to the family two loved and cherished daughters-in-law, Nancy Dillingham and Pam Stephens. After more than 76 years of marriage, they were still completely devoted to one another. Noble's death on February 26, 2017, left her bereft, but with a lifetime of memories to comfort her.

Ida Mae was a "Super Mom" before the word had been coined. She held down a full-time job at the El Dorado Clinic, was a Cub Scout Den Mother and room mother, and never missed any of her sons' activities. She also found time to take an active role in church and community activities. Her commitment, love, and devotion were inspiring.

After Ida Mae and Noble retired, they wintered in Texas where they were active in their retirement community. During the other months they traveled across the country, sometimes with their trailer in tow. She doted on her grandsons and great-grandchildren, and loved nothing more than to fill her home with the laughter of family and friends who would often stay up until wee hours of the night playing cards, board games and assembling jigsaw puzzles.

Ida Mae is survived by her sons, David and Stephen; daughters-in-law, Nancy (David) and Pam (Steve); grandsons Jerry (Laura), Michael (Nancy B), Brian (Carol), and Derek (Kelli); great-grandchildren Benjamin, Gage, Parker, Jenae, Bradley, Sunday, Emma, Evan, and Levi; and many nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until noon on Saturday, January 8, 2022 with funeral service following at 1:30 p.m., both at First United Methodist Church, 421 W Central Avenue El Dorado, KS 67042.