Elizabeth Marie Hardy, 96, of Jacksonville, IL, passed away Friday, March 10, 2023, at Springfield Memorial Hospital in Springfield, IL. Elizabeth was born June 20, 1926, in Jacksonville; the daughter of the late Olin Paul and Cora (Megginson) Hardy. She was also preceded in death by her only sibling, George M. Hardy, on November 27, 2016, and his wife, Phyllis (Twyford) Hardy on May 5, 2012. She is survived by three nephews, Elmer Hardy (wife, Caroline) of Los Alamitos, CA, Roger Hardy (wife, Linda) of Jacksonville, and Glenn Hardy of Jacksonville. She is also survived by five great nieces and nephews, Matthew Hardy (wife, Nancy), Breanna Hardy, Brittany Leveque (husband, Andrew), Arielle Hardy, and Sterling Hardy, as well as six great-great nieces and nephews. Elizabeth attended Point School for eight grades of elementary school and then attended Jacksonville High School graduating with the class of 1944. She continued her education by graduating from Hardin-Brown Business College in Jacksonville. Always anxious to learn more, she returned to Lincoln Land Community College in the 1990s, nearly completing an associates degree. Elizabeth was employed as a bookkeeper for the Illinois Veterans Commission, Elliott State Bank, and Dr. Walter Franks medical office, successively. After becoming the primary caregiver for her father and uncle, she was a farm manager and worked part-time for Dr. Walter Meyer, the Bone-Scott Clinic, Edward Jones Investments, and Sherwood Eddy YMCA, again successively. After "retiring" at age 65, Elizabeth continued managing her farm and "doing what she wanted to do." For her, that meant faithfully volunteering her services five days a week for over 30 years at the Jacksonville Area Genealogy and Historical Society, where she assisted many area families with their ancestral research and retrieving special information. She also continued her volunteer service to many area organizations including Morgan County Garden Club, West Central Lady Landowners, Morgan County Fair Auxiliary, Jacksonville Doll Club, Passavant Area Hospital, and Diamond Grove Cemetery Mausoleum Board. Her civic commitment brought her to serve as an enumerator for several federal censuses and as a precinct election judge for many years. Elizabeth was a life-long member of Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church. Elizabeth was an avid reader and throughout her life regularly wrote notes and letters to family and friends, sharing her thoughts, observations, and recollections pertaining to current events, politics, sports, weather, nature, and local history. She was a published author in several journals and periodicals, mainly sharing her knowledge of Midwestern farm life. She enjoyed travel experiences, especially to her biennial week-long Hardy family reunions at venues all across the United States. A life-long St. Louis Cardinal fan, she eagerly anticipated each new baseball season. Baseballs Opening Day ceremonies signaled to her that Winter was behind us. During the season, Elizabeth listened to games on the radio and tracked the subtleties of each contest by score-keeping on her home-made score cards. Funeral services will be held 11:00 am, Friday, March 17, 2023, at the Buchanan & Cody Funeral Home in Jacksonville where the family will meet friends from 10:00 am until the time of services. Elizabeth will be laid to rest beside her parents at Diamond Grove Cemetery in Jacksonville. Memorial gifts are suggested to the Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church or Jacksonville Area Genealogy and Historical Society. Condolences may be sent online at www.buchanancody.com. . Visitation Buchanan & Cody Funeral Home, Jacksonville Chapel Friday, March 17, 2023 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM 1100 Lincoln Ave. Jacksonville, Illinois 62650 Funeral Service Buchanan & Cody Funeral Home Friday, March 17, 2023 11:00 AM 1100 Lincoln Avenue Jacksonville, IL 62650