Lieselotte Martha Beilke (nee Kols) of Celle, Germany, age 85, passed away peacefully on November 22, 2018 in Palm Coast, Florida. She never met a lipstick she didn’t like. There was always an elegance to everything she did and wore. In every mirror, she saw herself as the poised and perfectly coifed woman that she was. She chose her friends wisely, was a faithful prayer warrior, and could keep a secret even if you didn’t make her promise not to tell.
As a child, Lieselotte was known to her family in Germany as Lotte, then later in America as Lisa. She grew up in the small municipality of Hornbostel near Celle, Germany. Her parents and six siblings lived on a small farm where they raised geese and pigs, and grew their own vegetables.
She met Max Beilke while he was a young American soldier stationed in Germany. They were wed in 1959 and were married until Max’s death on September 11, 2001 in the terrorist attack on the Pentagon.
Lisa was the first and only member of her family to move to the United States, following Max in his military career. She made a career of her own by working in the base exchange until Elizabeth Arden hired her. Lisa worked in cosmetics until she retired. She has travelled extensively and was active in church, the German Wives Club, and the Military Widows Club at Fort Meade, Md.
Lisa is survived by daughters Sylvia Hess and Michelle Beilke, grandsons Oliver Kols, Joseph Beilke (Sarah), Luke Beilke (Caitlyn), and Joshua Cornutt (Maria), great grandson Alexander Max Cornutt, brothers Walter, Herbert, and Peter, and sister Hildegard. She is preceded in death by her husband of 42 years Max J. Beilke, her son Jürgen Kols, brother Willie, sister Marianne, and parents Wilhelm and Wilhelmine Kols.
Burial is at Arlington National Cemetery at 10 a.m. on 15 February 2019, Pastor Bob Bjerkaas presiding. Those attending should arrive at 9:15 a.m. for the processional from the Administration Building to Area 64. Following a brief graveside service, the family invites you to a Remembrance Lunch at Ireland’s Four Courts, 2051 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va.
A special thanks to the staff at The Windsor of Palm Coast assisted living facility for the care and attention that brought comfort to our beloved Lisa during her final years.
