Elizabeth Benton Birkenmeier

Elizabeth Ann (Benton)Birkenmeier, was born November 9, 1928, in Cleveland, Ohio to Ben Benton and Rachel White.  Her parents were killed in an auto accident returning from a family vacation on August 28, 1941.  She was then raised by her aunt and uncle, Viola and John White.

Elizabeth graduated from Shaker Heights High School in Shaker Heights, Ohio in 1947.  She attended Stephens College, Columbia, Missouri where she studied Fashion Merchandising graduating in 1950.  She met her future husband, Robert N. Birkenmeier, while attending college.  She began working at Sterling-Lindner-Davis department store in Cleveland, Ohio following her graduation.  She married Robert N. Birkenmeier February 3, 1951, and they moved to Kansas City in 1953 where Elizabeth became a full-time mother to three children: Janice (1955), William (1958), and Benton (1961).  She was very supportive of the children, making sure they were on time for cheerleading and sports practices and enjoyed attending all the performances and games.

She then re-entered the workforce in 1973 as office manager for Knoch/Buckner/Youngblood/Bickley Obstetrician Corporation until she retired in 1990. She stayed active volunteering at Village Presbyterian Clothes Closet/Food Pantry, at Briarwood Elementary School, the Country Club Plaza Visitor’s Center, and giving her time to help others through respite care. She was recognized by the Community Blood Center of Greater Kansas City as a frequent donor.  She was an avid seamstress, sewing dresses, cheerleading outfits, Halloween costumes, curtains and bedding, blankets, bookbags, and various other hand-crafted fabric items.  Family and friends often commented that Elizabeth’s pies were the best they ever tasted.

Elizabeth was preceded in death by her husband Robert.  She is survived by her three children: Janice Ratzel (John), Charlotte, North Carolina, William, and Benton (Monica)Birkenmeier, Overland Park, Kansas; grandchildren: Jenny Patel (Akshay), Sarah Hartsfield (Chris), Rachel Thompson (Tim), Catherine, and Elizabeth; great-grandchildren: Mac, Nora, Hayes, and Freddie.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donation be made to Village Presbyterian Clothes Closet or Interim Healthcare Hospice.