Cover photo for Alice M. (Beaman)  Holck's Obituary
1931 Alice 2020

Alice M. (Beaman) Holck

September 15, 1931 — November 16, 2020

Alice M. Beaman Holck, age 89, an incredible woman, nurse, wife, mother, and grandmother, passed
away in Albuquerque, NM on Monday, November 16, 2020. She was surrounded by her beloved cat Mac,
grandson Adam Holck, and her granddaughter Elizabeth Holck Fogel, along with Elizabeth’s
husband Matthew Fogel. Alice was born Tuesday, September 15, 1931 in Corwith, IA, to
Marjorie Clapsaddle Beaman and William Beaman. She is preceded by her husband Donald K.
Holck, her son Karl E. Holck, and her brothers Kenny (Virginia) Beaman and Vern (Verna)
Beaman, as well as her sister Hazel Beaman (Meryl) Aitchison. She is survived by her siblings
Glen Beaman, Iva Beaman Valentine, Norma Beaman (Eugene) Schutjer, many nieces and
nephews, her sons Kris (Sue) Holck and Eric Holck, and grandchildren Adam, Elizabeth, and
Matthew along with Aaron and Brian Holck. Alice was a bright light to everyone she met and
will never be forgotten. A service will be announced in the future to celebrate Alice’s life. In lieu
of flowers, donations can be made to NM Cancer Center Foundation, The Humane Society, and
Defenders of Wildlife.
Alice grew up in Britt Iowa, alongside her six brothers and sisters. She met her husband Don at
school in their small town of Britt, where Don’s father was their mail man. She worked during
high school at Nissen’s Drug Store, working the pharmacy counter and as a soda jerk, where she
would make herself her favorite drink, a malt. A memory Alice would share frequently was of
her and Don’s drives to Clear Lake to go dancing at The Surf, her love of roller skating (she kept
the key for her skates), and ice skating on a flooded field in town every winter. She moved to
Marshalltown, Iowa in 1949 after graduating high school and attended Evangelical Deaconess
Hospital for nurses training. She lived in Marshalltown for three years in the dorm with her
fellow nursing students, who became her lifelong friends. Her nickname in nurses training was
Holly. Alice said that one night, as she was getting ready to go out and came down the staircase
in a brightly colored trench coat, her friends called out, “Here comes Hollywood!” The nickname
stuck, which they soon shortened to “Holly.” At the time, nursing students were not allowed to
marry, but the school made an exception because of the war. Alice and Don were married June
19, 1952 just as Don was getting ready to ship out to serve in Korea. They moved to
Albuquerque in 1958 in a trailer to save on rent. They built their forever home in 1960 where
they lived and raised their boys, whom she loved very much. She worked as a nurse at Dr.
Sullivan’s pediatric office in Albuquerque until she retired.
Alice adored her grandchildren and would take them to lunch and to the movies, let them have
sleepovers, make blanket forts with them in the backyard using her clothesline, and play with
them under the piano with stuffed animals, bandaging the animals’ boo-boos and pretending to
give them vaccines.
Alice and her granddaughter Elizabeth drove back to Iowa for Alice’s 50 th high school reunion,
having a blast visiting her childhood home and her school in Marshalltown, though her dorms
were no longer there, replaced by a corner store. She introduced Elizabeth to a fried pork
tenderloin sandwich, which is hard to find in NM and was Alice’s all-time favorite, from
Taylor's Maid-Rites in Marshalltown. Elizabeth wanted to see the farm in Corwith where Alice

was born, but Alice couldn’t remember exactly where it was, so in typical Alice fashion, she
said, “You’ve seen one farm in Iowa, you’ve seen them all.”
Alice was very active in her church, Asbury Methodist, walking there instead of driving because,
she said, it was good to get fresh air. She was involved in UMW (United Methodist Women),
hosting circle meetings at her home, working every Sunday as an usher, volunteering for every
church function she could, and working and baking for Asbury pie café every year to raise
money for charity. She also worked Mother’s Day Out for many years alongside her church
friends.
Alice loved to crochet and would donate blankets, sweaters, and hats she had made to preemie
babies and needy children. She crocheted up until the last few days of her life. Alice was a
wonderful seamstress, sewing clothes for herself and for her family. Everything she made had to
have pockets because she treasured practical things.
She had a wonderful sense of humor and a beautiful, contagious laugh. She loved cats and
anything blue, collecting spoons, thimbles, and postcards illustrated by her great aunt Ellen
Clapsaddle. She enjoyed planting and growing her vegetable garden every year and making dried
apples each fall from her apple trees, along with growing cuttings from plants her mother had
given her. She touched so many lives through her compassion and generosity, demonstrating to
the world that one person can truly make a difference. Alice will be missed more than words can
express.
We would love to hear your stories and memories of Alice and what she meant to you.


To send flowers to the family in memory of Alice M. (Beaman) Holck, please visit our flower store.

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