Champaign- Lerna Mae Roderick Hyatt, known to many as 'The Bread Lady' , 69, of Champaign passed away at home with her family after her third battle with cancer.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 A.M., Wednesday, November 24, 2010 at the Renner-Wikoff Chapel, 1900 S. Philo Rd., Urbana, IL. Pastor Brenda Tolly will officiate. Burial will be held at Grandview Memorial Gardens, Champaign, IL. Visitation will be held from 5-9 P.M., Tuesday evening at the funeral home.

Mrs. Hyatt was born January 7, 1941 in Champaign, Il. the daughter of Donald Roderick and Ruby Montgomery. She married Bill Hyatt in 1960. He died in 2006.

They had five sons and one daughter, William A Hyatt(Sandy), Midway Tenn., Cecil Hyatt(Darla) and Jeffery Hyatt of Champaign. Jack Hyatt of Urbana, Michael Hyatt-Woodbeck(Debbie) of Rantoul and Macheal Hyatt Carlson of St Petersburg, Florida. Lerna leaves eight grandchildren, Amber Odum(Mark), Dustin Hyatt, Katie Hyatt, Chance Hyatt, Ashton Hyatt, Lizzie Williams, Alex Williams, Tom Wirth(Carol) Rantoul, three great grandchildren Ayden Odum, Alexis Wirth, Savannah Wirth and many beloved nephews and nieces. She also leaves four brothers, Virgil Roderick(Susie), Donald Roderick(Peggy) both of Champaign, Marvin Roderick of Neoga, Kenneth Roderick(Jan) of Urbana, three step-sisters, Barbra Thompson, Virginia Hites, Loretta Marlowe and two step-brothers Albert Andres and Robert Andres. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, step-mother Beulah Roderick, sister Judy Shumard, granddaughter Martha Carlson and step-brother Dewey Andres . In 2006 Lerna was awarded the honor of being chosen by her community as an "An Outstanding Woman You Should Know". The following is an excerpt of the recognition she received: "Lerna Hyatt's commitment to community service can be credited to her parents. Though they weren't wealthy, sharing with others was a way of life, and Lerna's parents taught their children to do the same. When she learns of items that are going to be discarded, Lerna finds a way to make use of them, especially food. When she gets a call she will often take off on short notice to collect items such as bread, pastries and canned goods, which she distributes to local organizations like the Center for Women in Transition, Salt and Light, Times Center, Prison Ministries and many more. Once when a local motel was updating, Lerna picked up 100 blankets, mattress pads, curtains and drapes. For the next week she sought out organizations which had a need for such items and distributed them. Lerna, a licensed daycare provider for 47 years, has touched the lives of countless children over the years, many of whom she stays in touch with to this day. In addition to her daycare children, Lerna and her husband Bill, have provided foster care to 87 children, and even adopted two of the young men One adopted son, Jack, was a special needs child who eventually found his way to the Special Olympics. Lerna began to volunteer with the group and has since provided over 26 years of service to Special Olympics. It is typical of how she approaches every opportunity. It would be hard to summarize Lerna's life of service to others in the space allotted. She is a modest woman who does not seek out recognition, but never fails to respond when the call for help goes out."

Home canning was another way Lerna found to help others. She canned thousands of jars of vegetables, fruits and meats that she shared with family and friends over the years. She also loved to bake and made beautiful wedding cakes and many unique specialty cakes and chocolates that were sold as well as given as gifts. Lerna also enjoyed collecting pigs. While acquiring on her own and with gifts from family and friends over the years, she had amassed a collection thousands of pigs of every shape and size. She was involved in the testing and research on aging done at the U of I Beckman Institute. She was a member of the Senior Odyssey group in their program. She enjoyed hosting family dinners and made every holiday a special event. She loved to play cards with family and friends and was a member of a monthly card club with her dear friends, many in the group that had played together for over forty years. Lerna was an avid sports fan. She was a die-hard Cubs fan and she especially liked to cheer for the Illini teams. She was a former employee of the U of I Athletics Department.

Lerna was considered a mother, sister, confidant and best friend by everyone who knew her.

We have much appreciation for the two special Angels that cared for her every day and night at home, sister-in-law Bebe Gaines and daughter-in-law Darla Hyatt

Memorials may be made to Special Olympics of Illinois or the American Cancer Society. Condolences may be offered at www.renner-wikoffchapel.com.