Shannah Idleman

(From Derfelt Funeral Home)

Shannah Rae Idleman, age 48, went home to be with the Lord, Friday, September 19, 2025 following a sudden illness.

Shannah was born September 12, 1977 in Little Rock, AR. Her parents were Charles and Marsha Rae (Fulcher) Idleman. She had lived in New York the past 8 years.

She graduated from Galena High School, Galena, KS with the class of 1995. She then continued her education, earning a Master Degree in Music education.

She was a vocal performance coach at Wail with Shannah Rae which she owned and operated the past 8 years.

She attended Metro Baptist Church, New York. NY, where she actively supported a clothing ministry for the poor and homeless.

Surviving are her parents, Charles and Marsha Idleman of Carthage, MO, two brothers; Joel Idleman of

New Braunfels, TX, and his fiancée, Celisse Hecq and Christopher Idleman and his wife, Tiffini; and one close friend she and the family considered her sister, Angel Derfelt Murphy of Ft. Worth, TX.

Funeral services will be 11:00 am, Saturday, September 27, 2025 at First Baptist Church, Galena, KS. Joel Idleman will officiate. Burial will be in Oak Hill Cemetery, Galena, KS. under the direction of Derfelt Funeral Home, Galena, KS.

The family will also receive friends from 6:00 - 8:00 pm, Friday, September 26, 2025 at First Baptist Church, Galena, KS and one hour before the service on Saturday.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Metro Baptist Church clothing ministry in care of the funeral home.

Shannah had two great passions in her life that brought her joy. She loved people and she loved music. Both were a part of her life in the church as she served the Lord. Her love for music was developed from the time she was two years old when she sang her first special with her dad at her PaPa's church. Her love for people came naturally from her heart.

Shannah's first passion was her family and friends. She loved deeply and although distance kept her physically far away from us, her heart was always present with us. Some of her happiest times were spent with her family including her Aunt Karen, her cousin Tara and Tara's daughter Lyla as we gathered at Christmas time. Her friends have shared how she was the one with ideas of how to have fun or how to create an event that would be fun and as a result leave them with wonderful memories of their time together.

She grew in her knowledge of music and loved performing and singing on stage. She had a dream of having her own vocal studio in NYC which she achieved. She struggled with wanting to make a living and wanting to help anyone who had a passion for music but could not afford to pay for it. To that end she worked to create scholarships for those students and starving artists so they could have access to her studio and training. When she spoke of her studio and growing her business, she always had a dozen ideas for what she could do next. She created a successful YouTube channel also called Wail with Shannah Rae.

Although she is going to be so greatly missed we are blessed to have a living legacy of her singing in personal videos and on her YouTube channel and know she is still singing in heaven.