Joyce Ferlic O’Keefe

Joyce Ferlic O’Keefe—mother, friend, volunteer, leader, environmental and community advocate—passed away peacefully at 86 on Thursday, August 20, in the hospital in which she was born - Swedish Covenant. Joyce was a lifelong Chicagoland resident, who lived a life of service to family, community, and the environment.

Daughter of Dorothy Ford Ferlic and Frank John Ferlic, Joyce was the middle child in a family with five children who were all raised in Park Ridge, IL. She was a stellar student. She attended St. Paul of the Cross Catholic school through 8th grade. She attended St. Scholastica High School in Rodgers Park, Chicago (1957 graduate). She loved her time at St. Scholastica and remained a lifelong fan of the Benedictine Order. She graduated from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. in 1961. At “Catholic U,” she was Phi Beta Kappa as well as the Cotillion Queen.

Shortly after graduation, she married William Patrick O’Keefe, Jr. Their marriage ended after raising four children in Highland Park, Illinois where she resided until 2024.

Joyce began volunteering her time while her children grew. She was deeply committed to the common good and had an enthusiastic interest in politics as service to the community. She was President of the League of Women Voters (LWV) of Highland Park and Vice-President of the LWV of Illinois. She served on the Highland Park Plan Commission for many years.

Joyce was President of the John Howard Association, which was dedicated to reforming the criminal justice system in Illinois and improving conditions in its prisons. She became passionate about these issues through studies she led in the LWV.

She was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Highland Park City Council where she subsequently ran for and served two additional terms. She led efforts to preserve the natural ravines, institute city-wide curbside recycling, institute a nationally renowned early restrictive handgun ordinance, expand and redevelop the downtown, and build low- and moderate-income housing in the community.

She (and by extension her children and their friends) conducted voter education and passed out campaign literature door-to-door. She became active in Republican politics in Lake County, running for Township trustee. She later served as Republican Party Township Chairperson for Deerfield (now “Moraine”) Township.

Once her children were raised, Joyce enrolled in the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago, where she obtained a master’s in public policy in 1991. Commuting from Highland Park to Hyde Park, Joyce threw herself into her studies among the much younger student cohort. She attended on an academic scholarship.

Upon graduation, Joyce was hired by Openlands, a leading regional conservation nonprofit dedicated to conserving the remaining open spaces in the greater Chicago region. As Policy Director and later Deputy Director, Joyce was instrumental in converting Chicago’s lakefront Miggs Airfield to public recreational use, the Joliet Arsenal to the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, and Fort Sheridan from a military base to a Lake County forest preserve and mixed residential community – including the Openlands Lakeshore Preserve (a one-mile stretch of beach for public use).

She served on one of the first nature preserve commissions and preservation. In honor of her persistence and commitment, a grove of trees was named after Joyce!

She served on the Board of Directors for the Illinois Department of Conservation. She served on the board of the Illinois Environmental Council.

Joyce was an exemplary mother, citizen, and human being. A warm and cheerful woman, Joyce will be remembered for her honesty, integrity, generosity, and dogged pursuit of what she thought was right. She instilled the value of service in her children, often saying “To whom much is given, much is expected” (Luke 12:48). She considered a strong education a necessity and engaging in politics a prerequisite for being a good citizen. She persevered through many professional and personal challenges, including her many illnesses and hospitalizations. Not once did her children hear her complain. She exemplified selflessness until her final breath.

Joyce is survived by four children and their partners: William “Bill” Patrick O’Keefe III (Gena); Christopher “Chris” Brian O’Keefe (Jennifer); Paul Francis O’Keefe (Liz); and Hunter Le Duc (Timothy); four grandchildren: Molly Hunter O’Keefe of Sofia, Bulgaria; Samuel Spencer O’Keefe of Houston, Texas; Xavier O’Keefe of Fort Collins, Colorado; and Quinn O’Keefe of Bozeman, Montana; and one great-grandchild: Nina Ivanova. Her one surviving sibling is Dr. Donald Ferlic. She was predeceased by her sisters Barbara Buck and Judy Loboy, and her brother David Ferlic.

Family and friends will meet Friday, August 28, 2026, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 1107 North Orleans Street, Chicago, Illinois 60610 for a 10:00 a.m. Visitation followed by an 11:00 a.m. Funeral Mass. Interment at All Saints Cemetery, Des Plaines, Illinois.

In lieu of flowers donations to Openlands, 25 East Washington Street, Suite 1650, Chicago, Illinois 60602-1708, www.openlands.org, 312-863-6250.

The family wishes to thank all those doctors and nurses who cared so compassionately for Joyce at Northwestern Hospital and Swedish Hospital during her various hospitalizations. They also are indebted to the care team at the Admiral by the Lake assisted living community and all the wonderful caregivers from Whoo’s Caring.

For further information please call Michalik Funeral Home at 312-421-0936.