Alicia Maria DiBenedetto Neubauer, 41, of Rockford died on April 3, 2020. Born September 4, 1978 in Rockford, daughter of Jasper and Mariann (Paris) DiBenedetto. Graduate of Boylan High School class of 1996. In high school she was involved in Key Club, where she was a tutor at La Voz Latina, which was just the first step in setting up a life time of "Love In Action," her personal motto; and the Italian American Society of Rock and St. Louis Counties, she obtained a scholarship to study the Italian language abroad. Alicia graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis in December 1999. In her 20's, Alicia was employed as a waitress at Bacchus/Brio, where she met her future husband, Eric Neubauer and many lifelong friends. Eric and Alicia were united in marriage on June 2, 2007 at St. Anthony of Padua Church. They have two sons, Samuel "Sammy" and Jonathon "Jonny" Neubauer, whom she loved with all of her heart. She was employed as an Architect at Bradley & Bradley Architects and Saavedra Gehlhausen Architects. In 2016, Alicia opened Ground Floor Skateboards with her husband, Eric. Alicia traced her activist roots back to the young age of 8 when she started a recycling project in her home. Alicia had a servant's heart, exhibiting her personal motto of Love In Action by sharing her gifts and talents through volunteerism and community activism. She was the co-founder of the Women's March, Rockford; served on the City of Rockford Zoning Board of Appeals and the Liquor/Tobacco Advisory Board. Alicia was a board member of Trinity Daycare, and a former board member of Jeremiah Development, Shelter Care Ministries and River District. She was a proud member of Winnebago Buy Local and the Rockford Chamber of Commerce. After her breast cancer diagnosis in July 2017, Alicia scaled back some of her professional commitments to focus on her treatment plan and health. While going through treatment for Stage II Breast Cancer, Alicia discovered that very little research money is earmarked for State IV Metastatic Breast Cancer Research. As she approached her 40th birthday, Alicia decided to host a fundraiser for the UW Carbonne Cancer Center. Her goal was to raise $40,000 for Metastatic Breast Cancer by her birthday. She exceed her goal by $6,000. Alicia is survived by her husband, Eric; sons, Sammy and Jonny; father, Jasper DiBenedetto; siblings, Theresa (Dan) Allen, Jasper "Jay" (Jenny) DiBenedetto; father and mother-in-law, Dennis and Rebecca Neubauer; brother-in-law, Adam Neubauer; nieces and nephews, Margaret "Maggie" Allen, Meghan "Meg" Allen, Daniel "Danny" Allen, Grace DiBenedetto, Sophia DiBenedetto, Anthony "Nino" DiBenedetto; numerous aunts, uncles, cousins; a large circle of life long friends; and dogs, Iggy and Penelope. Preceded in death by her maternal and paternal grandparents, her mother and dog, Willie. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Alicia's memory may be made to UW Carbonne Cancer Center – More for Stage IV Fund or the Rockford Skate Park Initiative.

Memorial visitation Saturday, June 27, 2020 9 am to 10:45 am at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, 1010 Ferguson St. Rockford. Funeral Mass private due to Covid-19. Grace Funeral & Cremation Services is assisting the family. Share a memory or condolence at www.graceFH.com .