Ann Lawson Burkhardt, 76, passed away on Sept. 5, 2025, at JourneyCare Hospice in Barrington, Ill.

Despite battling multiple chronic illnesses, Ann continued working nearly until the end, most recently as an appeal writer for medical claims that were denied. This job allowed her to exercise her strong sense of fairness and boundless compassion as well as her professional skills.

Ann changed careers late in life, earning a degree in health information technology from College of Lake County after opportunities dwindled in the travel industry. She had previously worked as a consultant and as a database manager for travel firms, positions that gave her a chance to travel and indulge her curiosity about the world around her. She was an avid reader and had a special fondness for Japanese cuisine and Swedish mystery novels.

Born May 2, 1949, to Edward and Grace Lawson, Ann grew up in Elmhurst, Ill., where she graduated from York Community High School. She studied sociology at the University of Illinois-Chicago and lived in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. In 1969, she married sound engineer John Burkhardt of Willmette, Ill.

They moved to the northwest suburbs, where she remained after John's sudden death from a stroke in 1997. She was a member of the North Shore Unitarian Church before settling in Elgin.

Ann is survived by a daughter, Astrid Jean Burkhardt of Bartlett, Ill.; two granddaughters, Kathleen Oakes of Mount Prospect, Ill., and Kaitlin Alm of Brooklyn, N.Y.; and two sisters, Katherine Hart of Chicago and Jean (Joe) Gastiger of DeKalb, Ill. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents and a brother, Curt Lawson.

Funeral arrangements are private.Cremation rites and arrangements were entrusted to Finch Funeral Home 310 Oak St. DeKalb, IL 60115 815-758-3841.