Elizabeth Garrison Bilheimer

ELIZABETH GARRISON BILHEIMER, 93, died Feb. 9, 2016, Shrove Tuesday morning, at Hospice Home Care. The only child of Aleta and Morris W. Jessup, Elizabeth was born in Little Rock on Nov. 23, 1922. She grew up on North Ash Street and walked to Pulaski Heights Elementary and Junior High Schools with neighborhood friends. She graduated from Little Rock High School (now Central); Little Rock Junior College (now UALR), where she was awarded the Storthz Cup–the highest honor bestowed upon a member of the graduating class–given in recognition of outstanding service by vote of the faculty; and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where she was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority and Phi Beta Kappa honorary fraternity. As president of the high school student council, Elizabeth opened assemblies from the stage of the school's auditorium. She returned to the podium in the 2002–2003 school year as a speaker for the school's 75th anniversary. The students sat spellbound while she told of her classmates, teachers, and one particular boy. They sang together in the a cappella choir, kissed in the senior play, You Can't Take it With You, and married three years later. The students softly said, "Awwww" when they heard of the kiss, and they fell silent when she told them that her husband of 58 years had recently died. Elizabeth and Roy L. Bilheimer Jr., were wed at Christ Episcopal Church and lived as married students in Fayetteville. After Pearl Harbor, Roy enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps because it allowed him to finish college before active duty. Elizabeth walked at graduation to receive their two diplomas and followed him stateside before he shipped out to the Pacific Theater. Later, during the Korean War, the family lived in half a Quonset hut at Camp Pendleton, Calif. Eggs and milk were kept in a genuine icebox, cooled by a 25- or 50-pound block of ice, and the children's books were shelved in an upended orange crate. There was room for more books and that new entertainment medium, the LP record, when the family returned to Little Rock and the house on North Woodrow Street. Elizabeth imparted to Ann and Helen a love of literature, music, and the outdoors; taught Johnny to keep score at Little Rock Travelers games; and made sure that everyone learned the correct forms of pronouns and verbs. The family began vacationing at the then-sleepy town of Gulf Shores, Ala., in the early 1950s. Much later, Elizabeth and Roy enjoyed their own beach condo in one of the many high-rises that had sprung up over intervening decades. Elizabeth's mother played the organ at Christ Episcopal Church, where Elizabeth's father served as treasurer. Aleta, Morris, Elizabeth, and Roy were in the adult choir; Johnny, Ann, and Helen were in the children's choir. Elizabeth and Aleta joined with friends in the WEC (Women's Emergency Committee), successfully working to reopen a racially integrated Central High after the 1958-59 school year. Roy and Elizabeth were active members of STOP (Stop This Outrageous Purge), helping to preserve the jobs of teachers in danger of being fired for such perceived offenses as favoring racial integration. Professionally, Elizabeth taught English at the Arkansas School for the Blind, was a counselor at the Arkansas Training School for Girls, and later served in the Arkansas Department of Rehabilitative Services. She learned braille for the first job and obtained a master's degree in counseling for the second. She was a proud member of Delta Kappa Gamma, the professional honor society of women educators. Throughout their married lives, Roy and Elizabeth shared this toast: "Here's to you, Mrs. Sycamore," taken from the LRHS senior class play where they had played the lead roles. Elizabeth is predeceased by her beloved husband, Roy L. Bilheimer. She is survived by son John Bilheimer (wife Linda) of Silver Spring, Md., and daughters Ann Grimes (husband Austin) and Helen Bond of Little Rock. She is also survived by grandchildren Katina Napper (husband Daniel) of Riverside, Calif.; Joel Bilheimer (wife Jen) of Silver Spring; Patrick Wells and Adam Wells of Little Rock; Bridget Rogers (husband Marc) of Bentonville; Seth Schulte (wife Mia) of San Francisco, Calif.; and Sterling Bond of Dallas, Texas; and by nine great-grandchildren. Visitation will be held at Christ Episcopal Church at 10 a.m. on Feb. 25, 2016, followed by an 11 a.m. funeral in the church and 12 p.m. interment of ashes at Little Rock National Cemetery. The family will be at home at the River Room, 315 Rock Street, from 3:30 to 5:30. The family is deeply grateful to Elizabeth's caregivers and the staff at Parkway Heights, especially those who helped her in the last two years. Above all, Johnny and Ann give heartfelt thanks to Helen for her constant and loving devotion to our mother. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Christ Episcopal Church, 509 Scott Street, Little Rock, Ark. 72201; Little Rock Central High Memorial Fund, 1500 S. Park Street, Little Rock, Ark. 72202; or any favorite charity. Arrangements by Ruebel Funeral Home, www.ruebelfuneralhome.com.