AMBOY — Mary Alice Hardy, 79, of Amboy, passed away on Feb. 13, 2024, after facing complications from post-polio syndrome, alongside other health issues. She was born on May 23, 1944, in Dixon, the beloved daughter of Alvin Donald and Margaret (Cooper) Ortgiesen.

Mary found joy in the simple pleasures of life. She enjoyed reading, bird watching, sewing, baking, and writing letters to her friends. Mary also had a green thumb and loved planting flowers and plants, creating a vibrant and blooming environment around her. Staying connected was important to her, and she embraced keeping in touch with family through Facebook.

She is preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Nancy K. Daniels.

Mary Alice is survived by her loving children: Josephine (Scott) Vivian, of Amboy, Kirsten (Shawn) Pjesky, of Sugar Grove, Caleb (Christina) Hardy, of Byron, and Tyler Hardy, of Nashville. She leaves behind a legacy through her seven grandchildren: Samantha (Noah), Mackenzie (Jacob), Courtney (Cody), Carter, Dylan, Addlyn, and Bowen; as well as four great-grandchildren: Nellie, Jack, Cullen, and Rhett; and a great-granddaughter on the way.

Mary Alice is also survived by her sisters: Julia (James) Schmidt, of Morrison, Colo., Helen (Robert) Jackson, of DeKalb, Peg Ortgiesen, of Indio, Calif., Sharon Ackerson, of Vaughan, Mont., and her brother, Edward (Sharon) Ortgiesen, of Brownsburg, Ind.

A Celebration of Life in honor of Mary Alice will be held on June 29, 2024, at the Byron Forest Preserve in Byron, Illinois, from 10 a.m to 1 p.m. A memorial h