Beulah Lape

DEXTER, Mo. -- Beulah Edwards Lape, at the age of 93, reunited with her husband, parents, sisters and brothers Wednesday, March 13, 2019, when she passed away at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau.

Beulah was born at the family home Nov. 14, 1925, to John Preston and Myrtle Harlen Edwards. She was the last of the "Edwards girls." She and her sisters -- Eunice, Lois, Louise and Violet -- shared a special bond, and they held a lifelong affection for their older brothers, Russell, Warren, Paul and Estes.

Like many of her generation raised in rural Missouri during the Depression and World War II, Beulah learned the value of thrift and the dignity of work. She found her lifelong partner in Otto Lape, and they were married in 1943. They were married 55 years, when Otto died in 1998.

They worked together as farmers in the region, including a farm near Marble Hill, Missouri. Later they were owners of a fabric store and sewing machine dealership in Cape Girardeau. Beulah was an accomplished designer and seamstress, and she was able to send many brides down the aisle in the wedding gowns of their dreams.

With an emphasis on self-reliance and "tough it out" perseverance, they dispensed iodine and bandages in a continuous stream to children encouraged to complete their chores, ride bikes, wander the back roads and wade in creeks. Grateful for her dedication are Dennis (Betty) Lape of Everton, Arkansas; Vickie Lape (John) Clubb of St. Charles, Missouri, and Teresa Lape and Darwin (Nancy) Lape, both of Marble Hill. Beulah also is survived by five grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, and a generation of nieces and nephews who loved her.

Beulah was a past worthy matron and Otto a past worthy patron of the Order of the Eastern Star, where they spent many years promoting friendships and philanthropy.

She was a member of the Baptist Church, and in retirement Beulah enjoyed a trip to the Holy Land led by a Biblical scholar. She made many quilts for family brides and babies, as well as for infants at Saint Francis Medical Center. She enjoyed helping her youngest daughter, Teresa, geo-cache with amazing accuracy. Her blue ribbon-winning angel food cake was a big draw at family and Walker Church reunions.

A memorial service will be conducted at 11 a.m. Saturday at Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter.

Donations may be made to St. Louis Children's Hospital, Cancer Research, 660 S. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110 or the donor's choice.