David Walter Schlueter

David W. Schlueter, Ph.D., passed away on November 4, 2025 after a three-year battle with cancer. He died at home surrounded by family and his loyal dog, Belle.

Visitation will be at Grace Gardens Funeral Home on Friday, November 7th from 6 to 8 PM. Funeral services will be held at Woodway First United Methodist Church on Saturday, November 8th at 11 AM with the Reverend Steve Heyduck officiating.

David Walter Schlueter was born in Mascoutah, Illinois (Scott Air Force Base) to Herman and Joan Schlueter. He grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio with his parents, sister and two brothers. He attended Colerain High School, where he played soccer and basketball.

He completed his undergraduate degree in Business Administration at the University of Cincinnati and served as a graduate teaching assistant of Communication, Speech and Theatre. He found his true calling while completing his masters in Communication, then followed the advice of his graduate advisor to complete his doctorate at the University of Missouri, where he served as a graduate teaching assistant and director for public speaking courses.

He began his academic career at Baylor University in 1984 as an assistant professor before being promoted to full professor. He served as the department’s graduate program director before taking the role of department chair, a position he held for sixteen years. He also served twelve years on the university’s internal review board, several as chair.

He served as thesis advisor for more than 100 students and paid forward the advice of his graduate advisor by encouraging many of his students to go further to meet their own potential. He regularly received comments and notes of thanks for having influenced their career choices and successes. Several even returned to join Baylor’s faculty.

He created the Baylor-in-London study abroad program for Communication, which still thrives today, shepherding dozens of students through the United Kingdom each summer. He had the chance to get to know those students in depth and continued to communicate regularly with many of them.

His research results were published in several respected journals, including the Western Journal of Speech Communication and the Journal of Applied Communication Research. He was a member of the Speech Communication Association, the International Communication Association and the Central States Communication Association.

Dave enjoyed sports in many forms, but none more than the University of Cincinnati Bearcats, especially football and basketball. He enjoyed golf and was a serious bowler in his younger years.

While completing his dissertation in Missouri, he met another doctoral student. He and Janie were married in 1984.

Dave grew up attending the United Church of Christ, then found a comfortable transition to membership in the United Methodist Church. Dave and Janie taught adult Sunday School classes for most of their 40+ years in Waco. The membership of their current class, Connections, includes some of his most treasured friendships.

David is preceded in death by his parents and grandparents. He is survived by his wife, Janie, and sons Scott (Suzanne), Eric and Robert, sister Diane (Stan), brothers Phil and Jeff, nieces Amanda (Brad) and Colleen, and grandnieces Leah and Lauren.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Woodway First United Methodist Church or the Communication Excellence Fund at Baylor University.