Yvonne “Alexis” Kneeland (nee Groebe) - 79

Yvonne “Alexis” Kneeland (nee Groebe), 79, of Flossmoor, Illinois, passed away peacefully in her home on August 3, 2026, after a hard-fought battle with liver disease. If asked she would have told you, “I’m fine. It’s fine. Everything is FINE.”

Born to Gordon A. and Lillian Y. (nee McVicker) Groebe at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park, Illinois, Alexis grew up in Chicago and Harvey, Illinois. She attended Thorton Township High School and went on to become a graduate of the University of Illinois. In every sense of the word, she was a teacher. For 35 years she taught physical education at Bloom and Bloom Trail High Schools, a career that included coaching golf, tennis, and gymnastics. She went on to make a difference as an LPGA Teaching Professional. Generations of students learned from her, not just how to swing a club or stick a landing, but how to show up and try. She was, by all accounts, a woman who mastered whatever she put her mind to — bridge, stamp collecting, golf, gardening, the arts, and the kind of wide-ranging intellectual curiosity that never let a conversation go shallow. But what people remember most wasn't any one thing she did. It was the way she made you feel while she was doing it. Alexis had a rare gift: she saw people. Whoever she was with — a grandchild, a student, a bridge partner, a stranger out and about — she had a way of making them feel like they were the only one in the room. Her wisdom, her smile, and her infectious laugh leave a void that will be felt by everyone who was lucky enough to know her.

Family lore holds that Alexis met her beloved husband Willard J. Kneeland as a boy in the neighborhood and that she loved him from the very first time she laid eyes on him. The two began dating in high school and spent the next 59 years proving her instincts right, married until the day she passed. She was a devoted mother to Adrienne (Chris) Jackiw, Erica Kneeland, and Jennifer Kneeland (Kelly Rinderknecht); and a fun, adoring grandmother to Miles Brooks, Stella Brooks, Stephen Jackiw, Andrew (Michelle) Jackiw, and Aaron Jackiw — grandchildren she loved with a devotion that was nothing short of monumental. She was also a big sister to William (Laura) Groebe, Gordon (Sharon) Groebe, Kimberly (David) McElroy, David Groebe (Therese Griffin), Gaynelle (Gary) Strakshus, John (Lynn) Groebe, Duncan (Elizabeth) Groebe, Charles (Lucy) Groebe, Verily (Scott) Blim, and Melody (Rodney) Lee; and a treasured aunt and great-aunt to over 75 nieces and nephews. And, we can’t forget to mention her gone before favorite dog Sparky.

A memorial visitation will be held on Saturday, October 24th at Panozzo Brothers Funeral Home, 530 W. 14th Street (Rt. 30), Chicago Heights, Illinois, from 1:00 pm until time of memorial service at 3:30 pm. A Celebration of Life gathering for friends and family will be announced at the service.

Alexis will be laid to rest in Mount Vernon Memorial Estates. Burial private.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Alexis's honor to organizations supporting education, philately, theater, or golf — the pursuits she loved and gave herself to fully, just as she gave herself fully to everyone she met, would be greatly appreciated by her family. Info 708-481-9230 and panozzobros.com