Lenora Hart

1945 - 2024

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. - Lenora Ione Hart, 79, of Casa Grande, Ariz., formerly of Mahomet, died Thursday, March 28, 2024.

Lynn, as she preferred to be called, was born in Peoria on July 27, 1945. She spent her early years in the small Illinois river town of Lacon. When she was in her early teens, she was placed in the Cunningham Children's Home in Urbana, where she stayed until completing high school at Urbana High School. She was and always will be an Urbana Tiger.

In her senior year, she met her husband on a blind date and they were married after she completed high school on Aug. 4, 1963. They had a whirlwind courtship, and it was "common knowledge" that they had to get married. Ironically, Lynn was challenged with fertility issues and struggled for eight years before her long-awaited firstborn son was welcomed into the world. Her son was followed not long after by two daughters, and later in life, she was blessed with four grandchildren.

During her life, she developed a love of history and embraced the Native American culture and sympathized with their plight. She was passionate about participating in living-history demonstrations, which served to spread awareness and understanding of their culture and challenges, until her attention was directed towards her children and their extracurricular activities associated with school. Once she had more available time as her children got older, she worked in a supervisory capacity for several years in retail.

She was a proud breast-cancer survivor. She had a special spot in her heart for animals and actively participated in fostering and rescuing them. After her children were grown, her allergies developed into asthma and she moved to Casa Grande, Ariz., upon the recommendation of her doctor to get to a drier climate.

She is survived by her husband, Ernie Hart; her children and their spouses, Karl and Michelle Hart, Christie and Travis Teausant and Kara and Joseph Haas; and her grandchildren, Katarina Hart, Andrew Hart, Benjamin Hart and Jaxon Haas. 

For her family and loved ones, she will always be in their hearts. She will be missed but never forgotten.

Visitation will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 13, at Mahomet Christian Church, 908 N. Lake of the Woods Road, Mahomet. Services will immediately follow at 11 a.m., also at Mahomet Christian Church. Burial will be in Grandview Memorial Gardens in Champaign.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Cunningham Children's Home in Urbana at cunninghamhome.org.

Condolences may be offered at owensfuneralhomes.com.