Obituary of Cecilia Ann Knoll

Cecilia Ann Knoll was born on October 6, 1956. She passed away unexpectedly on Monday, March 22, 2021, with her loving husband, Robert, by her side. Cecilia is also survived by her twin daughters, Melissa and Renee, the center of her universe, and her two grandsons, Nathan and Giovanni, who brought immeasurable joy to her life.

Family was everything to Cecilia, and she took every chance she could to be together, reveling in family vacations and get togethers. She was the center of every holiday, cooking and hosting her daughters and their families at her home. She loved making ‘Christmas jewel’ cookies with her grandson, a family tradition. Cecilia was a second mother to countless friends of Renee and Melissa, who knew they could turn to her for an honest opinion and a shoulder to cry on. She was a dichotomy of a woman - a straight shooter, honest, blunt, and a big sap, full of empathy and compassion.

Cecilia (Dr. Knoll to her students) was a trailblazing academic, teaching mathematics at Florida Tech, her graduate alma mater, for the last 41 years. She inspired countless students to love mathematics and have a passion for learning! Fellow academics have said they inspired her to become a mathematics professor. Cecilia loved teaching. She prided herself on never missing class. She taught the day she went into labor with twins, and she worried about coverage for her class the day she passed.

Cecilia was a passionate sports fan, and loved the Gators, the Dolphins, and the Liverpool FC. Her guilty pleasures were chocolate and Judge Judy, and she loved the comradery with friends from the gym. Cecilia was predeceased by her parents, Mary and Arthur McGloin, who gave her a foundation of love and strength for her life. She missed them every day, but found joy and happiness with her husband, her daughters, her grandsons, her many friends and extended family, and her students. Cecilia leaves a space in the world that can never be filled, and she will be missed, enduringly, and immeasurably.