USBC Hall of Famer Elvira Toepfer dies at age 99
February 11, 2022
ARLINGTON, Texas - United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer Elvira Toepfer of Bradenton, Florida, died Feb. 5 at the age of 99.
Toepfer first made a name for herself as a Detroit-area standout and was selected as the Motor City's Queen of Bowling eight times, to go along with multiple appearances on the all-city team and a Woman of the Year Award from the Bowling Proprietors Association of Greater Detroit.
Her passion for the sport began while she was working at a local bowling center, and her career kicked off in 1940, when she was 18 years old.
In the decades that followed, Toepfer was part of the Brunswick Advisory Staff of Bowling Champions and was able to find success at the national level, too.
Her first noteworthy victory came with fellow USBC Hall of Famer Anita Cantaline at the 1956 Bowling Proprietors' Association of America Women's National Doubles, and Toepfer found the national spotlight again in 1957 and 1959 with team titles at the USBC Women's Championships.
In all, she participated in the Women's Championships 56 times from 1942-2001. She also collected top-five finishes at the World's Invitational Tournament and the BPAA All-Star and enjoyed a stint on the Professional Women's Bowling Association Tour in the organization's early years. The first PWBA Tour event was held in 1960.
Continued success earned Toepfer entrance into a trio of halls of fame for superior performance - Metro Detroit USBC (during the 1966-1967 season), USBC (1976) and Michigan State (1977).
Toepfer and her late husband, Meyrl, moved to Homosassa, Florida, in 1999, and she relocated to nearby Bradenton following his death in 2001. She had lived in an assisted living facility since 2016.
Information about funeral services for Toepfer is not yet available.
Toepfer first made a name for herself as a Detroit-area standout and was selected as the Motor City's Queen of Bowling eight times, to go along with multiple appearances on the all-city team and a Woman of the Year Award from the Bowling Proprietors Association of Greater Detroit.
Her passion for the sport began while she was working at a local bowling center, and her career kicked off in 1940, when she was 18 years old.
In the decades that followed, Toepfer was part of the Brunswick Advisory Staff of Bowling Champions and was able to find success at the national level, too.
Her first noteworthy victory came with fellow USBC Hall of Famer Anita Cantaline at the 1956 Bowling Proprietors' Association of America Women's National Doubles, and Toepfer found the national spotlight again in 1957 and 1959 with team titles at the USBC Women's Championships.
In all, she participated in the Women's Championships 56 times from 1942-2001. She also collected top-five finishes at the World's Invitational Tournament and the BPAA All-Star and enjoyed a stint on the Professional Women's Bowling Association Tour in the organization's early years. The first PWBA Tour event was held in 1960.
Continued success earned Toepfer entrance into a trio of halls of fame for superior performance - Metro Detroit USBC (during the 1966-1967 season), USBC (1976) and Michigan State (1977).
Toepfer and her late husband, Meyrl, moved to Homosassa, Florida, in 1999, and she relocated to nearby Bradenton following his death in 2001. She had lived in an assisted living facility since 2016.
Information about funeral services for Toepfer is not yet available.