Elizabeth Louise Brauch (Holtgrave)

Elizabeth Louise Holtgrave (Betty Lou, then Bess, and later Elizabeth) was born on January 12, 1933, in Breese, Illinois. She was the fifth in a family of seven children (six girls and one boy). As a young mother to her children, she would often recount charming stories of her childhood. She recalled how in the morning when going to St Dominic’s Catholic School, she would start running from her house at the beginning of the 9 o’clock church bell and still be able to make it to school on time before the clock finished striking. She was almost always late.

 She graduated from Saint Dominic’s, where she was the valedictorian of her 12th grade class. After graduating, she moved to Kansas City with her cousin and two friends and started working at Scott Air Force Base as a civil servant secretary. Later she worked as a secretary in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, where she met Larry Brauch at a bowling alley near her work. Soon she was engaged and married Larry on October 21, 1957, at Visitation Church in Kansas City, Missouri.

 In 1958, Elizabeth moved with Larry to Phoenix, Arizona, where they lived for four years, and she gave birth to Jay, Jeff, and Gary. The family then moved to Fremont, California, where they lived for 10 years and Elizabeth gave birth to her daughter, Katrina.

 In 1974, they relocated again, returning to the Kansas City area (Stilwell, Kansas). Elizabeth and her family became active members of Queen of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Bucyrus, Kansas. Elizabeth was also an enthusiastic member of the “Mary’s Club.”

 She was admired and appreciated by her fellow parishioners and her neighbors in Stilwell for her gentle spirit and unrelenting kindness. She gave her kids a lot of love (and worry) during their difficult teenage years, and she was a favorite mother figure to all their friends.

 As her kids got older, Elizabeth started a business venture selling Home Interiors and Gifts, doing home decorating shows and sales all over the Kansas City area. She showed so much hard work and dedication, and her customers became her friends and were made better because of her great love and her service to them. She was loved by both her customers and her colleagues.

 After her husband Larry passed away in 2002, Elizabeth eventually pursued her longtime love for dancing. For seven years, she attended dance classes at the Camelot Ballroom in Stanley, Kansas. It was there that she met and fell in love with Frank Stallbories. Frank and Elizabeth were married at Queen of the Rosary Church in 2008. They were happily married together for the next seven years until Frank’s passing in 2016.

 Since then, Elizabeth has had the close friendship and help of her children and close neighbors, helping her navigate and enjoy this last season of her life. All the while, Elizabeth continued to become sweeter every day. Elizabeth has been a very special best friend to each of her children, and to others. She did little things for people and big things as well. The way she genuinely endeared herself to others made them feel special and loved. She had the ability to make people feel as if they were the only thing that mattered and that they were uniquely special. She was a beautiful expression of the love of God, and of all who knew her were richer because of it.

 Elizabeth leaves four children to cherish her memory: Jay, 65; Jeff, 64; Gary, 60; and Katrina (Kat), 58. She also leaves behind her younger sister Margaret (McGee) currently residing in Homestead, Florida.

The Funeral Mass celebrating Elizabeth’s life will be held on September 6, 2024, at Queen of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church – Wea in Bucyrus, Kansas. There will be a rosary at 10 A.M. followed by the visitation at 10:20 A.M. Funeral Services will begin at 11 A.M. followed by the burial behind the church. Friends and family are invited to stay for lunch following the burial.

 Flowers may be sent to Queen of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, 22779 Metcalf Rd. Bucyrus, KS 66013