REBECCA LOU HARDT

Rebecca "Becky" Lou Hardt, 76, of DeKalb, Illinois, passed away peacefully at her home on July 11, 2026, surrounded by the family she so deeply loved.

Becky was born on March 15, 1950, in Bloomington, Illinois, the youngest of three children born to Robert and Marian (Meeker) Sharp. She graduated from Normal Community High School in 1968 and went on to attend Illinois State University in Normal. Demonstrating a natural aptitude for helping others, Becky worked for State Farm Insurance Co. at their corporate headquarters in Bloomington, serving as a senior benefit specialist who dedicated her days to managing insurance and care options for fellow employees.

On September 11, 1971, Becky was united in marriage to the love of her life, Charles Michael "Mike" Hardt, in Normal. Together, they shared a beautiful, devoted marriage of 54 years. In 1977, after brief periods in Bloomington and Clinton, Illinois, they made DeKalb their permanent home.

As a mother, Becky was the true heart of her household, prioritizing her children and creating a home filled with warmth. Later in life, she brought her strong work ethic to part-time roles at Uarco/Standard Register, Eagle Grocery, and Twins Tavern.

Becky possessed an extraordinary love for children, animals, and flowers. A lifelong animal lover, her home was always filled with the companionship of dogs, cats, and even a horse in her younger years. She possessed a unique, gentle magic with animals; it was a frequent occurrence for Becky to go for a casual walk and return with a lost pet trailing contentedly behind her. She would feed them, tend to any medical needs and try to reunite them with their owners or find them a safe adoption path. If her husband had let her, she simply would have kept them all.

Her creative spirit and love of nature shone brightly through her involvement with the “Petal Pushers,” a group that gathered weekly in Dixon to craft beautiful pressed-flower cards, frames, and magnets. They sold their artwork at regional craft shows, directing all proceeds to hospice care, with major contributions benefiting the Serenity House in Oregon, Illinois. Faith and community were also central to her life, and she was a long-time member of the Westminster Presbyterian Church in DeKalb.

Becky looked forward to card games with her husband and close friends and was an absolute expert in water sports, excelling at swimming, water skiing, and boat handling. For decades, every summer she and her family traveled to their cabin on Gull Lake in Nisswa, Minnesota, where generations gathered to make lasting memories on the water. She also shared a love for trapshooting with her husband and friends, competing locally in DeKalb County Farm Bureau Tournaments.

Above all, Becky was a masterful teacher and a natural-born caretaker. Whether she was nursing an injured animal back to health, tending to a sick or injured family member, or serving as the ultimate "team mom” carting her children to endless sports and music practices and cheering the loudest at every game and concerts; she lived her life entirely for others.

She was preceded in death by her grandparents, parents, Robert and Marian Sharp, as well as a beloved aunt and uncle in Connecticut.

Becky's legacy of love lives on through her surviving family, including her devoted husband, Mike Hardt; her son, Aaron of DeKalb; her daughter, Rona Hardt of DeKalb; her brother, David Sharp of Urbana, Illinois; her sister, Rona Whitney, and brother-in-law, Ronald, of Texas; as well as many loving nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends.

A visitation will be held from 2:00 p.m. until the time of service at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 8, at Anderson Funeral Home, 2011 S. 4th St., DeKalb, IL 60115. A private family burial will take place at East Lawn Cemetery in Bloomington, Illinois.

The Hardt family extends their most sincere gratitude to Heartland Hospice and Visiting Angels for the profound compassion, love, and professional care they provided to Becky in her final days after a long journey of dementia and MDS.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made in Becky’s honor to The Alzheimer’s Association, alz.org or The Visiting Angels Foundation  visitingangelsfoundation.org/donate

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