Margaret Vinci Heldt
Margaret Vinci Heldt, renowned hairdresser and creator of the iconic Beehive hairstyle, resident of Lexington Square of Elmhurst, passed away peacefully at age 98 of heart failure on June 10, 2016.
Margaret was born on February 11, 1918 in Chicago. She attended Calhoun Elementary School, Our Lady of Sorrows and Lucy Flowers High Schools and Columbia Beauty School where she became a licensed cosmetologist in 1937. She rose quickly in her profession, winning countless awards and accolades including the National Hairdresser of the Year Competition in 1954. She was an early female entrepreneur, founding and managing a prestigious hair salon, Margaret Vinci Coiffures, on Michigan Avenue for over two decades in the fifties and sixties. Margaret was a highly sought after instructor and mentor to others in her profession, and contributed to the success of entire generations of hairdressers in Chicagoland. She was a member of Hair America, the National Cosmetologists Association and Cosmetologists Chicago for 78 years. She was inducted into the National Cosmetologists Hall of Renown in 2005, and in 2009 a perpetual scholarship was formed in her name to continue the tradition of helping to educate new young people in her field. One of her greatest “claims to fame” was the invention of the Beehive hairstyle which she created for a magazine cover in 1960. The original mannequin used to create the style along with the hat and bee stickpin are on display at the Chicago History Museum.
Margaret was the third of four children of Frank and Francesca Vinci. She is preceded in death by her parents and siblings, Anthony Vinci, Josephine Becker and Mary Petrini. She is also preceded in death by her husband, Carl Ludwig Heldt, whom she married in 1942. She is survived by her son William (Mary) Heldt of Oswego, Illinois, her daughter Carlene (Andrew) Ziegler of Wellington, Florida, her seven grandchildren Carla (Phil) Meikle, Steven (Megan) Heldt, Megan (Tim) Lantz, Jillian (Alex) Crean, Sam Ziegler, Robert Ziegler and Caitlin Ziegler, and six great grandchildren.
A Funeral Mass took place at Visitation Parish, 779 S. York St., Elmhurst on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. Interment at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside. Memorial contributions can be made to the Margaret Vinci Heldt Creativity in Hairdressing Scholarship, c/o Cosmetologists Chicago, 440 S. LaSalle St., Chicago 60625. Arrangements provided by Ahlgrim Funeral Home. Call (630) 834-3515 or visit ahlgrim.com for more information.
