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March 23, 2013
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Tuesday, March 26, 2013 from 2-4 & 6-9 PM.
Funeral Services will be held at 9:30 AM on Wednesday, March 27, 2013 from the funeral home, then to Our Lady of Magnificat RC Church, Kinnelon, where at 11 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered.
Jillian A. De Lillo, age 26 of Kinnelon died on Saturday, March 23, 2013 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.
Jillian was born with a condition known as Tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia, which is essentially a malformation within her heart. She endured her first surgery when she was just a few hours old and this most certainly saved her life. At fifteen months old she had open heart surgery to perform a more permanent repair however, during the surgery Jillian suffered permanent brain damage resulting in a lifetime of disability. Her strong will and determination however, brought her much farther than any of her doctors could have ever predicted.
Jillian went on to graduate from the Transition Center at Woodridge and she received her high school diploma. She loved to sing and if the radio was on, she would sing along to just about every song – knowing all the words. She loved watching TV, and “Sponge Bob Square Pants” was by far her favorite cartoon. She also loved movies and would view them over and over again until she remembered every line. “Home Alone”, “Liar, Liar” and “Annie” were among her top favorites. Her sister had recently surprised Jillian with tickets to go see “Annie” on Broadway this coming May, and Jillian was looking forward to it very much so.
Jillian had been working at “Willing Hands” in Kinnelon, a work activity training center for developmentally disabled adults. Willing Hands helped to boost Jillian’s self-esteem and expanded her social network. She loved it there and made some great friends over the years. They had day trips from time to time as well; going bowling and to the circus, which Jillian looked forward to. The annual Willing Hands dinner was an event that she really enjoyed and she liked to dance there with her friends from the Center.
Ten years ago, the Make-A-Wish Foundation selected Jillian and treated her and her family to an all-expenses-paid trip to Disney World. The trip was “the best trip ever”, as her family described it. They received VIP treatment at every turn and Jillian was on top of the world. They never had to wait on a line and Jillian was always provided with the best seats in the house for the live shows. The highlight of her trip was when she met Barney after one of his live shows. He had been one of her favorite TV personalities at the time, and to meet him in person filled her with complete joy! Make-A-Wish also provided them with accommodations at the ‘Give Kids The World Village’. ‘Give Kids The World’ is a non-profit resort near Disney which provides children with life-threatening illnesses, and their families, cost-free fantasy vacations. It was the nearest thing to Heaven on earth and Jillian didn’t want to leave. Jillian’s family is eternally grateful to all of those who made that trip so spectacular for each of them, but especially for the joy it brought to Jillian.
Like any other girl, Jillian enjoyed shopping at the mall. Usually finding a new movie on DVD made her most happy, but she would still like to wander around the mall. She also liked good food and her grandmother’s chicken cutlets were her favorite, but cheese doodles and chicken nuggets were pretty high on her list too. Her best friend and trusted companion was her service dog; Comet. They had been together about two years now and Comet was her constant companion. He was trained to take care of her and would be by her side no matter what. He was even able to sense when she was having a seizure and he would place his body at her feet, ready to break her fall in the event that she collapsed. Comet was devoted to her and she loved him dearly.
Jillian is survived by her parents; Robert and Geralyn De Lillo of Kinnelon, her three sisters; Jaclyn, Kristen, and Katelyn De Lillo of Kinnelon, her brother Bobby of Kinnelon, her grandmother; Jeanette De Lillo of Butler, her aunt Jennifer Tempio and her husband Stephen of Kinnelon, her aunt Valerie Harrell and her husband Lonnie of Lakeland, FL, her uncle; Chris Natoli and his wife Mandy of Riverdale, and seven cousins; Jennifer, Melissa and Stephen Tempio, Destiny, Lonnie and Leeann Harrell of Lakeland, FL, and Gianna Natoli of Riverdale. Jillian was predeceased by her grandmother Mary Natoli of Lodi just last week, and her grandfathers; Robert De Lillo (2010) and Henry Natoli (2006).
Memorial donations if friends so wish would be greatly appreciated. Please consider the Willing Hands, Inc., 91 Kinnelon Rd., Kinnelon, NJ 07405.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Tuesday, March 26, 2013 from 2-4 & 6-9 PM.
Funeral Services will be held at 9:30 AM on Wednesday, March 27, 2013 from the funeral home, then to Our Lady of Magnificat RC Church, Kinnelon, where at 11 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered.
March 23, 2013
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Tuesday, March 26, 2013 from 2-4 & 6-9 PM.
Funeral Services will be held at 9:30 AM on Wednesday, March 27, 2013 from the funeral home, then to Our Lady of Magnificat RC Church, Kinnelon, where at 11 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered.
Jillian A. De Lillo, age 26 of Kinnelon died on Saturday, March 23, 2013 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.
Jillian was born with a condition known as Tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia, which is essentially a malformation within her heart. She endured her first surgery when she was just a few hours old and this most certainly saved her life. At fifteen months old she had open heart surgery to perform a more permanent repair however, during the surgery Jillian suffered permanent brain damage resulting in a lifetime of disability. Her strong will and determination however, brought her much farther than any of her doctors could have ever predicted.
Jillian went on to graduate from the Transition Center at Woodridge and she received her high school diploma. She loved to sing and if the radio was on, she would sing along to just about every song – knowing all the words. She loved watching TV, and “Sponge Bob Square Pants” was by far her favorite cartoon. She also loved movies and would view them over and over again until she remembered every line. “Home Alone”, “Liar, Liar” and “Annie” were among her top favorites. Her sister had recently surprised Jillian with tickets to go see “Annie” on Broadway this coming May, and Jillian was looking forward to it very much so.
Jillian had been working at “Willing Hands” in Kinnelon, a work activity training center for developmentally disabled adults. Willing Hands helped to boost Jillian’s self-esteem and expanded her social network. She loved it there and made some great friends over the years. They had day trips from time to time as well; going bowling and to the circus, which Jillian looked forward to. The annual Willing Hands dinner was an event that she really enjoyed and she liked to dance there with her friends from the Center.
Ten years ago, the Make-A-Wish Foundation selected Jillian and treated her and her family to an all-expenses-paid trip to Disney World. The trip was “the best trip ever”, as her family described it. They received VIP treatment at every turn and Jillian was on top of the world. They never had to wait on a line and Jillian was always provided with the best seats in the house for the live shows. The highlight of her trip was when she met Barney after one of his live shows. He had been one of her favorite TV personalities at the time, and to meet him in person filled her with complete joy! Make-A-Wish also provided them with accommodations at the ‘Give Kids The World Village’. ‘Give Kids The World’ is a non-profit resort near Disney which provides children with life-threatening illnesses, and their families, cost-free fantasy vacations. It was the nearest thing to Heaven on earth and Jillian didn’t want to leave. Jillian’s family is eternally grateful to all of those who made that trip so spectacular for each of them, but especially for the joy it brought to Jillian.
Like any other girl, Jillian enjoyed shopping at the mall. Usually finding a new movie on DVD made her most happy, but she would still like to wander around the mall. She also liked good food and her grandmother’s chicken cutlets were her favorite, but cheese doodles and chicken nuggets were pretty high on her list too. Her best friend and trusted companion was her service dog; Comet. They had been together about two years now and Comet was her constant companion. He was trained to take care of her and would be by her side no matter what. He was even able to sense when she was having a seizure and he would place his body at her feet, ready to break her fall in the event that she collapsed. Comet was devoted to her and she loved him dearly.
Jillian is survived by her parents; Robert and Geralyn De Lillo of Kinnelon, her three sisters; Jaclyn, Kristen, and Katelyn De Lillo of Kinnelon, her brother Bobby of Kinnelon, her grandmother; Jeanette De Lillo of Butler, her aunt Jennifer Tempio and her husband Stephen of Kinnelon, her aunt Valerie Harrell and her husband Lonnie of Lakeland, FL, her uncle; Chris Natoli and his wife Mandy of Riverdale, and seven cousins; Jennifer, Melissa and Stephen Tempio, Destiny, Lonnie and Leeann Harrell of Lakeland, FL, and Gianna Natoli of Riverdale. Jillian was predeceased by her grandmother Mary Natoli of Lodi just last week, and her grandfathers; Robert De Lillo (2010) and Henry Natoli (2006).
Memorial donations if friends so wish would be greatly appreciated. Please consider the Willing Hands, Inc., 91 Kinnelon Rd., Kinnelon, NJ 07405.
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