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Obituaries
Rose Marie Eccardt
Rose Marie Eccardt (Girard), 83 of Defiance, Missouri passed away on July 9, 2022, surrounded by her loving family.
Rose attended Mercy High School graduating in 1956 and then went on to study education at Fontbonne University graduating in 1959 with a BA in Elementary Education. Her first job was as a 2nd grade teacher at Adams Elementary School in St. Louis City, which was not close to home and required her to take three buses and walk a mile to get to work.
She married her first husband the late William D. Mykins in 1960 and moved to Florissant, Missouri in 1962 where they had four children, Mary L., William D. Jr., Anne M., and Rose E. and attended St. Dismas Catholic Church. Rose returned to teaching after her youngest child was 3 years old and worked in the Hazelwood School District from 1970 to 1979. While working full-time and raising a family, Rose still managed to teach GED and English-as-a-Second-Language classes in the evening and obtained her Master of Education degree from SIU Edwardsville by attending evening classes. She went on to obtain her Masters +30 and other teaching certifications.
Rose met Curtis “Curt” Eccardt in 1977, and they were married in 1981 after which she moved to St. Peters, Missouri along with her daughters Anne and Rose and attended St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton Catholic Church. She worked as a teacher and school librarian in the Francis Howell School District from 1979 until she retired in 2001.
Rose enjoyed being outdoors and staying active and enjoyed jogging (when it was still a new thing), swimming, canoeing, orienteering, hiking, biking, and exploring new places and parks. Rockwoods Reservation, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and the Katy Trail were a few of her favorites. Over the years, she was a member of several clubs, including the Francis Howell Retirees Group, Boone Country Garden Club, Red Hat Club, and Gateway Garden Railroad Club. Curt and her enjoyed traveling, especially on trains, and visited many interesting places within the USA and made overseas trips to France and Italy. Within the USA, their travels were usually focused on attending model train shows and visiting presidential libraries, of which they visited all except for the two in California.
At home, she enjoyed working in the yard and gardening around the timber frame house that Curt, and she had built in Defiance, MO in 1999. Rose was intellectually curious and a life-long learner / educator, she enjoyed reading and creating riddles and puzzles for guests and grandchildren to solve, or clipping interesting articles from the newspaper and sending them to friends and family.
She was a kind and compassionate person always thinking of others, whether caring for friends and family, making cookies and sending birthday and holiday packages to her grandchildren living out of town, or giving back to her community. Curt and Rose attended Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in New Melle, MO. She volunteered in her church’s St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry and for several years delivered meals-on-wheels for the Wentzville Green Lantern Senior Center. She also applied her teaching skills to mentor grade school students as part of the Francis Howell Tutor program.
To say that Rose did not rest much is an understatement. She was highly active until the end. She enjoyed gardening and regularly participating in aerobics class and spinning classes and going on hikes with the Wednesday Walkers. She will be dearly missed by her friends and family.
Rose is survived by her loving husband of 41 years Curt Eccardt, four children Mary (Joe) Troia; Bill (Steffani) Mykins; Anne (Dan) Prater; and Rose (Steve) Dill. Seven grandchildren, Melissa Troia; Natalie Troia; Madeline Mykins; William F. Mykins; Garrett Mykins; Stephanie (Josh) Buatte; Jessica (Scott) Kubik; great-granddaughter, Scarlett Stevick, brother, Roger (Mary Jon) Girard, sister, Donna (Bill) Kehres, and many nieces and nephews and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Fred and Louise Girard, brother, Ronald Girard, and nephew, John Girard.
Rose attended Mercy High School graduating in 1956 and then went on to study education at Fontbonne University graduating in 1959 with a BA in Elementary Education. Her first job was as a 2nd grade teacher at Adams Elementary School in St. Louis City, which was not close to home and required her to take three buses and walk a mile to get to work.
She married her first husband the late William D. Mykins in 1960 and moved to Florissant, Missouri in 1962 where they had four children, Mary L., William D. Jr., Anne M., and Rose E. and attended St. Dismas Catholic Church. Rose returned to teaching after her youngest child was 3 years old and worked in the Hazelwood School District from 1970 to 1979. While working full-time and raising a family, Rose still managed to teach GED and English-as-a-Second-Language classes in the evening and obtained her Master of Education degree from SIU Edwardsville by attending evening classes. She went on to obtain her Masters +30 and other teaching certifications.
Rose met Curtis “Curt” Eccardt in 1977, and they were married in 1981 after which she moved to St. Peters, Missouri along with her daughters Anne and Rose and attended St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton Catholic Church. She worked as a teacher and school librarian in the Francis Howell School District from 1979 until she retired in 2001.
Rose enjoyed being outdoors and staying active and enjoyed jogging (when it was still a new thing), swimming, canoeing, orienteering, hiking, biking, and exploring new places and parks. Rockwoods Reservation, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and the Katy Trail were a few of her favorites. Over the years, she was a member of several clubs, including the Francis Howell Retirees Group, Boone Country Garden Club, Red Hat Club, and Gateway Garden Railroad Club. Curt and her enjoyed traveling, especially on trains, and visited many interesting places within the USA and made overseas trips to France and Italy. Within the USA, their travels were usually focused on attending model train shows and visiting presidential libraries, of which they visited all except for the two in California.
At home, she enjoyed working in the yard and gardening around the timber frame house that Curt, and she had built in Defiance, MO in 1999. Rose was intellectually curious and a life-long learner / educator, she enjoyed reading and creating riddles and puzzles for guests and grandchildren to solve, or clipping interesting articles from the newspaper and sending them to friends and family.
She was a kind and compassionate person always thinking of others, whether caring for friends and family, making cookies and sending birthday and holiday packages to her grandchildren living out of town, or giving back to her community. Curt and Rose attended Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in New Melle, MO. She volunteered in her church’s St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry and for several years delivered meals-on-wheels for the Wentzville Green Lantern Senior Center. She also applied her teaching skills to mentor grade school students as part of the Francis Howell Tutor program.
To say that Rose did not rest much is an understatement. She was highly active until the end. She enjoyed gardening and regularly participating in aerobics class and spinning classes and going on hikes with the Wednesday Walkers. She will be dearly missed by her friends and family.
Rose is survived by her loving husband of 41 years Curt Eccardt, four children Mary (Joe) Troia; Bill (Steffani) Mykins; Anne (Dan) Prater; and Rose (Steve) Dill. Seven grandchildren, Melissa Troia; Natalie Troia; Madeline Mykins; William F. Mykins; Garrett Mykins; Stephanie (Josh) Buatte; Jessica (Scott) Kubik; great-granddaughter, Scarlett Stevick, brother, Roger (Mary Jon) Girard, sister, Donna (Bill) Kehres, and many nieces and nephews and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Fred and Louise Girard, brother, Ronald Girard, and nephew, John Girard.
Visitation: Thursday, July 14, 2022, from 4:00 to 8:00 pm at Hutchens Stygar Funeral Home, 5987 Mid-Rivers Mall Drive, St. Charles, MO 63304.
Funeral: Friday, July 15, 2022, at 10:30 am at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 8 West Highway D, New Melle, MO 63365.
Burial Service: Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, located 2900 Sheridan Rd, St. Louis, MO 63125.
Memorials: In lieu of flowers and plants, memorial donations are suggested to be made to Places for People, Arthritis Foundation, or Alzheimer’s Society in honor of Rose.
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