Elvera F. Beiker

Elvera Holzhauer Beiker, formerly of Plainville, Kansas, passed away on April 25, 2025, in Salina, Kansas where she resided since 2023. She was 105 years old.

Elvera was born on April 14, 1920, on the family homestead in Rooks County, Kansas, to Paul and Emma (Keller) Holzhauer. The eldest of three daughters, Elvera grew up helping with the daily chores on the farm and attending a one-room schoolhouse nearby. She graduated as salutatorian of Palco High School’s Class of 1938 and went on to pursue a career in cosmetology, graduating from Steward Beauty School in 1940.

With entrepreneurial spirit and dedication, Elvera opened the Charmee Beauty Salon in Plainville in the early 1940s. A beloved fixture in the community, she owned and operated the salon for 51 years and continued serving her loyal clients into her late 80s.

On July 26, 1944, Elvera married the love of her life, Joseph Beiker. Together, they raised eight children and built a life rooted in faith, family, and hard work.

Elvera was a devoted member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, actively involved in the Ladies Guild and a charter member of the Daughters of Isabella. She also served as president of the Plainville Hospital Ladies Auxiliary and chaired local Red Cross blood drives.

She will be lovingly remembered for her home-cooked meals, especially her homemade pies, pickled beets, and dill pickles. An avid gardener and skilled canner, she passed down her love of simple joys to her children and grandchildren. Her handmade crocheted blankets wrapped many new grandchildren in warmth and love from their very first days.

Elvera was preceded in death by her beloved husband Joe; her sons, Thomas, Stephen, Douglas, and Robert Beiker; and her sisters, Agnes Wasinger and Bertha Brown.

She is survived by her daughters, Susan Beiker and Christine Sauber (Robert); her sons, Kenneth Beiker (Michelle), and Eugene Beiker (Julia); 12 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

Elvera’s legacy of love, service, and resilience lives on in the many lives she touched. She will be deeply missed.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, May 3, 2025, at 10:30AM at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Plainville. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. Visitation will be on Friday, 6PM until 8PM with a Vigil and Rosary Service at 7PM at the church.

Memorials are suggested to Sacred Heart School and Interim Hospice of Salina and may be sent to Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home, 320 SW 2nd St, Plainville, KS 67663.