Obituary for Elva D. Beier

Elva Beier (Freier), 85 years old, passed away on Sunday, September 27, 2026 wrapped in love as she began her journey home. She was the matriarch of our family, the glue that held us together and the center of our world. While our hearts are heavy with her absence, we have comfort in knowing she has been reunited in eternity with her loving husband. Elva lived her life full of joy, humor, good recipes to share and kindness while loving her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and others to the fullest.

Elva Beier was born on January 29, 1941 to John and Evelyn (Scafe) Freier. Her school years were spent in La Crosse, WI attending Logan High School through her junior year. Her parents and siblings later relocated to Holmen, Wisconsin. It was there that she spent her senior year, proudly graduating from Holmen High School.

On August 16, 1958, she was united in marriage to Duane “Buddy” Beier. Early in their marriage, they dedicated their time to farming and were blessed with five children. After many years of farming, she had various jobs and then transitioned to running an in-home daycare, sharing her warmth and care with local families. She later brought her love for cooking to many area restaurants, including the Golden Palace, where countless cherished family memories were made. She continued her love of cooking at Coulee Children’s Center where she was named “Cooker” by all the kids for 17 years.

Early on Elva and Buddy enjoyed getting together with family and friends to play cards, especially Canasta, snowmobiling, camping, and family gatherings. Her hobbies also included cooking and baking, usually without a recipe and if you were to ask her how to make something you would get “by taste, a glub of this, a drop of that, and a pinch of this.” Her favorites enjoyed by many were her Santa cakes and a family favorite Easter Egg Rice Krispy treats each personalized with a name written in her homemade frosting. Everyone always said no one could make them like her because they were made with love and the butter in her wrinkles of her hands added the best touch of flavor. Some of Elva’s and her family’s fondest memories include the annual tradition of making lefse, sandbakkels and other Christmas goodies as a family and celebrating her birthday each year surrounded by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She also spent time knitting, reading and crossword puzzles. She most recently enjoyed watching westerns, game shows and Big Brother.

Her greatest joy were the moments spent with her children “the out-laws”, their spouses “in-laws”, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She was affectionately known as GG by many of her great-grandchildren.

Elva is survived by her children and their families; son Duane “Butch” Beier, Winona, MN, step-grand-children Jessie, Claire, and John; daughter Liza (Dave) Jandt, Caledonia, MN, their children, Stephanie (Geoff) Mell, great grand-children Aubrey and Abby Mell, Chris (Amy) Jandt, great-grandchildren Faith (Chris) Radke-Schrader, Rachael, and Thomas Jandt; son David (Nancy) Beier, Hokah, MN, their children Derek (Whitney) Beier, great-grandchildren Carson, Briggs, and Everett Beier, Nathaniel Beier and Aiden Beier; daughter Rebecca “Becky” (Jim) Erickson, Trempealeau, WI, their children Jenny (Ben) Holz, great-grandchildren Reed and Reese Holz, Megan (John) Salo, great-grandchild Hazel Salo; daughter Elizabeth “Beth” (Jay) O’Bryan, La Crosse, WI their children Elisha (Clint) Patterson, great-grandsons Cayson and Liam Patterson, Cayla (Joe) Burner, great-grandchild William Burner, Devyn O’Bryan.

She is further survived by her brother William (Becky) Freier, brother in-law Dale Beier, sisters-in-law Theresa Zimmermann, Gretchen (Dan) Montgomery, and Alice Schmidt and many nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her best friend, companion and protector Milo, her beloved cat.

Elva is preceded in death by her husband Duane “Buddy” Beier, parents John and Evelyn Freier, mother and father in-law Adolph and Virginia Beier, sisters Barb Weber, Sue Freier, Nancy Freier, brother John Freier, sisters-in-law Doris Bakke, Karen Larson and Kay Beier, brothers-in-law Dick Bakke, Carliss Larson, and Roger Zimmerman.

A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1010 Sill Street, La Crosse. Rev. Phillip Waselik will officiate. Burial will follow at Mormon Coulee Memorial Park. A visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. until the time of service Friday at the church.

The family would like to extend our Thank You and gratitude to the staff at Hillview Healthcare Center, especially nurse Tom, and Emplify Hospice.

Online condolences can be left on this site.