Janet Sue Alikonis

Janet Sue Alikonis of Chicago passed away Dec. 23, 2018, in Chicago. She was 72 years old. Following years of progressive dementia, the cause of death was acute leukemia.

Janet was born in Bloomington, a daughter of Justin and Gladys Van Horn Alikonis. She attended public schools in Bloomington, graduating from Bloomington High School in 1964. She attended Illinois State University for one year, and then transferred to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, from which she earned a B.A. in French in February 1968, and an M.Ed. in French with a minor in Spanish in August 1968. For 12 years she taught French and Spanish at Odell Community High School. Before she began teaching, and summers during her time at Odell, she lived in France and traveled extensively to several European and Central American countries to maintain and enhance her foreign cultural knowledge and language proficiency. Janet moved to Chicago in 1983, where she taught foreign language for one year at Roycemore School in Evanston. She then became the office administrator for Particle Reduction Service in Elk Grove Village.

In 2002 she married Justin Melvin Mickevic in Chicago. He died in 2010. She was also predeceased by her parents and brothers, James and Robert.

She is survived by her sister, Nancy, Arlington, Va.; her sister-in-law, Blanca; and niece, Caroline.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Alikonis Scholarship Fund at the School of Nursing at Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington. A memorial service will be scheduled at a later date. Arrangements by Cremation Society of Illinois, 773-281-5058 or www.cremation-society.com.