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Becky Lockhart, history-making Utah lawmaker, dies at 46
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| Contributor | Kyle |
| Last Edited | Kyle Jul 22, 2015 06:14pm |
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| Category | Obituary |
| Author | Robert Gehrke |
| Media | Newspaper - Salt Lake Tribune |
| News Date | Sunday, January 18, 2015 12:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Becky Lockhart, who served 16 years in the Legislature and was the first female speaker of the Utah House, died at her Provo home shortly after noon Saturday from a rare neurodegenerative brain disease.
She was 46.
"She was at peace and surrounded by her family," said Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo. "It's a credit to world-class doctors and Becky's indomitable spirit that they were able to have these past days together with her."
Acting as family spokesman, Bramble said in news release that "the outpouring of prayers and positive thoughts continue to help sustain the family, and they thank everyone for their support."
Lockhart suffered from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. She began showing symptoms of the ailment in recent weeks and was admitted to the hospital less than a week after leaving office, and her family first publicly acknowledged she was critically ill.
Reaction to her death — and praise for her life — came swiftly and from across Utah's political spectrum.
"Speaker Lockhart was a tremendous public servant," Gov. Gary Herbert said. "While she was first and foremost a wonderful wife and mother, she was also a remarkable role model, particularly to the untold numbers of women who were inspired by her example to be involved in public service."
Newly minted U.S. Rep. Mia Love, a history maker herself as the first black Republican woman elected to Congress, also pointed to Lockhart's example and quoted the former speaker saying that women may feel "uncomfortable" speaking out "until we make it normal for women to be heard, until we are heard for our ideas and not viewed as tokens."
"She wasn't afraid to take a stand," Love said. " ... Because of Becky's courage, many of Utah's mothers and patriots across this country have found our voice."
Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck, D-Salt Lake City, said Lockhart stood as "an amazing example to young women across Utah on the importance of women in community service, elected or otherwise."
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