Elizabeth Irvine (Beutnagel)

Elizabeth was born August 19, 1924 in Celeste, TX to parents John Ellis and Ella Mae Glasscock. She was known as Liz or Boose to family and friends. She grew up on a farm, and often talked about those days of hard work and few possessions. These childhood experiences shaped her philosophy: She believed in hard work and self-reliance. She passed this legacy on to her children. She often said, “I have to keep working every day, because the day I stop, I won’t be able to do it anymore.” Her child-rearing philosophy was: “Never do for a child what he can do for himself.”

She worked as the Pastor’s Secretary at Garden Oaks Baptist Church for many years prior to her retirement in 1989. As a young widow with four children, she said, “the Church helped raise my children.” She was a loyal friend to many, and a devoted mother and grandmother. She showed her love by taking care of you, watching out for your health, and cooking for you! Her meatloaf was the best in the world.

Although she loved to save money, and invest in the stock market, material possessions meant little to her. Her family meant everything. She was kind, loyal, gentle, non-judgmental, hard-working, resourceful, thrifty and no-nonsense. She was also more beautiful and classy than a movie star. Everyone who knew her loved her.

Mom was our biggest fan, and our source for unconditional love and comfort. We are who we are because of her, and we were privileged to call her our Mother. We take joy in the fact that she took joy in us. She was so strong, we thought she would live forever. We will miss her so much, and she will never be forgotten. We can no longer hold her in our arms, but we can hold her forever in our hearts.