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Wayne L. Robeen, 89, of Godfrey, passed away peacefully on Jan. 4, 2025 after a lengthy illness.
Wayne was born in Michael, IL on April 11, 1935 to Louis and Eleanor (Michalek) Robeen. Raised in Michael on the family farm, Wayne was the oldest of six children.
Wayne enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1956 and served during the Korean War and Vietnam War as a Technical Aircraft Maintenance Technician. After 23 ½ years of service and several duty stations, including Tucson, AZ, Okinawa, Japan and Homestead, FL, Wayne retired at the E7 Master Seargent level in 1979. Shortly after, Wayne returned home to Illinois with his wife and daughters, to be close to his beloved family and the family farm he truly loved and shared precious memories of. Wayne would later work for the Alton Library driving the book mobile and volunteered for the Friends of Hayner Library. Wayne was proud of his service in the military and was never seen out in public without wearing a ball cap honoring his love of the Air Force and the freedom for this country it represented. Wayne will be remembered for his caring and compassionate heart, his funny spirit and the many jokes and pranks he would play on his family, friends, and anyone he would come across. Wayne loved baseball and his St. Louis Cardinals. He was an avid Jeopardy fan, watching the show faithfully every day even up to the night before he passed. He loved listening to his record collection. His passion for many years was collecting stamps and coins. He was proud of his extensive collections.
Wayne is survived by his daughters, Rose Smith of California and Regina Robeen of Godfrey; grandchildren, Kendra, Kevyn, Kristen and Holly; great grandchildren, Gabriel, Alivia, Niko, Tilly, Sophia and Wrenley and his beloved dog, Yoshie who was his faithful companion to the end. Also surviving is a brother, Jeff Robeen (Renata); sisters, Shirley Zirkelbach (Andy), Diane German (Frank) and Cindy Taylor (David); and numerous nieces and nephews.
Wayne is preceded in death by his wife, June E. (Rist) Robeen of 51 years, whom he loved and cared for as she battled with Parkinson’s Disease for many years. Also preceding him was his father Louis Robeen, mother, Eleanor Robeen and brother, Paul Robeen.
Visitation was from 9 a.m. until time of funeral at 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 13, 2025 at Gent Funeral Home in Alton. Burial was at Hardin Cemetery. Online guestbook and information may be found at www.gentfuneralhome.com
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