Ida Mae (Pete) LaPaul, the youngest of eight siblings, was born May 6, 1938 in Welch, Louisiana to the late Leonard and Ella (Bellow) Pete. After graduating Washington High School in Lake Charles, LA she married her high school sweetheart Eugene in 1958 after he completed his military obligation and they moved to Houston for better opportunities. Ida worked several years as a cashier at Kroger before moving on to Texaco as a credit card analyst where she worked for many years prior to retirement. When not working, being a wife, and mother, Ida enjoyed zydeco dancing, trying her luck at a casino, and was known to cook up a mean pot of gumbo.

Family left to cherish her memories are husband of 65 years Eugene, their sons Ronnie, Kenneth (Tracy), and David (Terri), her beloved granddaughters Peyton and Haley, and her brother Eugene (Los Angeles, CA). Ida was preceded in death by her brothers: Johnny, Andrew, Eddie, Chester all of Lake Charles, LA, and her sisters Margaret Pete (Bargeman) of Houston, TX and Evelyn of Los Angeles, CA.