Donna Hardt Obituary, Death – Unfortunately, the passing of a beloved member of the KFYR-TV news family has occurred. Over the weekend, photographer Donna Hardt, who had a long career, passed suddenly. The things Donna has accomplished and the enthusiasm with which she has pursued photojournalism will never be forgotten. Nor will the kindness that she has. She left an indelible mark on everyone she came in contact with.
Our audience has been informed, entertained, and amazed by the plethora of stories that we have been able to bring them thanks to the lens of this camera. Even people in the media, such as myself, have become more recognizable as a result. But we want to put the spotlight on the lady who was the cameraperson for many of those reports; the woman who sat behind the camera peered through the viewfinder, and brought you the stories that were significant.
According to Donna Hardt, there were stories to be found in every corner. She frequently remarked, “we ought to write a story on that,” and many times, we did just that. She was inquisitive, generous, and a trailblazer in the field of television journalism, paving the way for many more women to follow in her footsteps. The 1970s were the decade in which she purchased her first news camera. That camera was almost as big as both of her hands combined.
She always made sure the reporters’ hair looked beautiful and their ties were straight, and she had a way of putting people at ease, whether it was the persons being interviewed or the reporters themselves. Meeting new people was something that never got old for Donna.
“If you were a reporter working for the staff and you wanted to get an interview done, Donna created that feeling for you when you walked into an interview.” “Because everyone in the community knows Donna thanks to her years of experience as a photographer and the many close friends she has,” explained the former head photographer of KFYR-TV, Dwayne Walker, in an interview from 2019.
Donna was the person operating the camera for some of the most significant events that occurred in the area, such as the large-scale seizure of marijuana in South Dakota in 1980, the infamous Gordon Kahl shooting in Medina, the floods in 2011, and the protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. During an interview in 2019, she reflected on her successful career.
