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A Charming, Spirited, One-of-a-Kind Success Story

A Charming, Spirited, One-of-a-Kind Success Story

Most people in the area aquatint Spooner's Elaine Walker with Mary Kay Ash, the woman who started the skin care company in 1963.

Elaine stands out in a sea of pajama bottoms and Ugg boots by wearing skirts, nylons and full make-up on her beautiful skin and her hair done to perfection-always.

She has been a successful woman all of her life, graduating from St. Cloud State with a BS in Vocal Music and a minor in Business Education.

Born in Chicago, her family moved to Minnesota when she was eleven, and during her high school years in Minnesota she started to show her love for music by forming a musical quartet and was she was devoted to the opera. Her voice was superb.

Teaching in Howard Lake, Minnesota she developed the vocal music department and a Senior Choir that was highly successful.

She met and married her husband John, who became the Industrial Arts teacher in Spooner, which opened an opportunity to develop and lead the United Methodist choir while participating in her own St. Frances de Sales choir.

Even though they had four children and Elaine was teaching full-time and directing various musical venues at the same time, she credits her time-management to color coding her calendar. She uses it to this day to organize her busy life, and so do her children.

She's substitute taught everything from industrial arts to boys PE in both Shell Lake and Spooner, and people remember her as the qualified fill-in-anywhere teacher. She began and ran the popular community choir and still gives private singing lessons.

In the late 1970's, Elaine took a position in Shell Lake at the Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College (WITC) as supervisor of the Office and Marketing division, taking a break from her music major and dipping into her minor in Business.

Elaine had spent a busy life so far taking the bull by the horns and making a success out of everything she's touched. Things like teaching a Professional Image class for six years and raising four successful children in their own right who also use and sell Mary Kay. She was successful in every way but one, her own complexion.

In 1979 she was invited to a skin care class hosted by a Mary Kay consultant.

A victim of acne for forty years, she was amazed to finally find a cure, and today her skin is flawless. In 1980 she signed up with the company and has never looked back. She's enjoyed all the benefits of her dedicated service; travel around the world, a healthy retirement package, cruises and one of her biggest thrills, meeting the founder of the company and having Mary Kay, in person, train her in her palatial home in Texas.

"Even though the room was full of women and the large semi-circle sofa was also full, when Mary Kay talked to you, she looked at you, she looked directly at you, and it felt like there were only the two of you in the room."

Elaine set her goals high from the very beginning of her career with Mary Kay by developing her first unit of twenty-four people and continued to hold two to three appointments every week herself. Mary Kay has always offered complimentary facials, and even though Elaine has thirty-eight years under her belt, she still provides the facials in her beautifully appointed home on Grant Street in Spooner, wearing the original pink smock from her early days.


It took her only three years to became a director, which made her eligible to earn a car, be it a pink Cadillac or other. She has earned eighteen vehicles in all, each with a two-year contract and the company paying the insurance and or any repairs.

She's moved up the latter by becoming a Senior Director and now has moved even farther by becoming an Executive Director with 115 consultants under her.

In 1994 John retired from teaching, and now they travel even more. You name the country, and they've probably been there.

With all the hours she gives to her business you would think that music has taken a back seat. You would be wrong. She not only still sings, but this past August, she and Jerod Reetz, and Tam Smith gave a special Music Concert at St. Francis to raise money for their school, they became a hit on YouTube. The afternoon's entertainment featured duets and solos from the performers, and for those who had never heard Elaine sing, they were amazed by her depth, tone, and quality.

Her musical ability was given to her by God, and her career in skin care consulting came from Mary Kay. She credits the targeted products for every type of skin the reason for the companies success. Because people get results, they not only purchase the product, many become consultants. Mary Kay has also added a men's line ten years ago possibly due in part to Mary Kay's son and grandson taking over the company after her death in 2001 at the age of 83.

Elaine is diligent in her quest to be an example of being feminine. She works out several times a week; her voice is strong because she's spent her life singing, and she always looks beautiful. She thoroughly enjoys helping women succeed in business and life, and it shows by the generous way she treats everyone.

The last financial goal her Unit Club reached was last year with over $300,000.00 in sales. Their new goal is a half of a million, and there is no doubt they'll make it.

Elaine still spends an average of five hours a day in her office, often using the time to send out texts and writing her monthly newsletters. Her goal now is to build a financial legacy for their grandchildren.

She is available by phone, 715-635-7573 email, pinkedw@charter.net, and her website is marykay.com/elainewalker.

She, like Mary Kay was once described, is charming, spirited and one-of-a-kind a woman for all seasons.


Last Update: Mar 13, 2018 8:11 am CDT

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