Juanita Gage Sloan

Our dear Mother, Juanita Gage Sloan, a long-time Lake Kiowa resident, passed away peacefully on August 14 in San Diego, California, where she had recently gone to live with her daughter, Linda. She was 95. Her funeral service will be at the Hillcrest Church of Christ at 2 PM on Saturday August 20, with interment in the Fairview Cemetery under the direction of the Geo. J. Carroll & Son Funeral Home.

Juanita was born April 24, 1921 to Ludy Reuben Gage and Lela Bell Boyd Gage in Hobart, Oklahoma. She was raised on the family farm in Sycamore, Wise County, where she helped with milking the cows, picking cotton, and weeding the fields. She had an older sister, Velma Inez, who died before Juanita was born, and a younger sister, Ruth Marie (Gage) Williamson, who preceded her in death.

Juanita loved school and graduated from Slidell High School at the young age of 16. She went directly to North Texas State Teacher’s College, and graduated in just three years at the age of 19. She then accepted an offer to teach elementary school in Springtown, Texas.

Juanita married Young T. Sloan of Greenwood, Texas, in Los Angeles, California, in 1942. When Young was shipped overseas to the South Pacific in 1943, Juanita returned to Texas and worked at Consolidated Aircraft in Fort Worth to support the war effort. Young returned from the war in 1945 and the young couple soon began a family that eventually grew to three sons and a daughter. Over the years, Young’s career as a meteorologist took them to many places, including: San Antonio; Honolulu, HA; Falls Church, VA; Midland, TX; New Orleans, LA; Ann Arbor, MI; Little Rock, AR; and Lubbock, TX.

Young retired from the Weather Bureau in 1975. In 1981, he and Juanita moved to Lake Kiowa because of its beautiful location, golf course, and to be closer to relatives. Young was a skilled golfer and they built a home near the first green. Juanita loved quilting and made many beautiful quilts over the years. She was very involved with the Lake Kiowa Women’s club. She was an avid reader, talented photographer, and a great cook. Most of all, she loved having her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren visit her.

Juanita and Young loved traveling and made several trips to Europe over the years. They visited: England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. They had been happily married for 68 years when Young passed away in 2010. They are survived by their four children and spouses: Kenneth (Petra) Sloan of Steinen, Germany; Mark Sloan of Seattle; Robert (Stephanie) Sloan of Seattle; and Linda Sloan Hollingsworth of San Diego, California. Other survivors include six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Juanita was a life-long member of the Church of Christ and she and Young were very active in the Hillcrest Church of Christ in Gainesville.

Juanita believed in treating others with kindness and respect and she was known by all as a remarkably sweet and loving person. She was the heart and soul of our family, and we will all deeply miss her for the rest of our lives.