Sally Jane Dillin

Sally Jane Dillin was born in Washington, D.C., on June 1, 1945, the only child of Gerald “Jerry” Lannholm (1906 - 1982) and Evelyn (Hoff) Lannholm (1906 - 1996). Both the Hoff and Lannholm sides of the family have ties to Iowa, immigrating there from the Netherlands (Hoff) and Sweden/Germany (Lannholm).

Sally’s mother, Evelyn, and her aunt, Nadine Olsen (1920 - 2019), were both college English majors who taught grade school English professionally - Evelyn retired to become a homemaker upon the birth of her daughter. Sally’s father, Jerry, held a PhD in Education and worked for Educational Testing Service as the Head of Graduate Records Exams, in addition to writing a poetry column for the local newspaper. Shortly after Sally was born, the family moved to Leonia, NJ, relocating to Princeton, NJ in 1949. Sally attended Princeton High School; she majored in French and minored in English at Dickinson College, graduating in 1967.

Sally began working for the National Security Agency in Fort Meade in July of 1967 as a linguist, retiring in 2000. She married Lawrence Donald Dillin Jr. (b.1946) in 1973. The arrival of her only child, Lisa, took place in 1976. Sally championed Lisa’s artistic career and was a primary friend and support to Lisa throughout her life. Don and Sally divorced in 2014 but remained close friends and supporters of one another. Sally and Don started Special Places Travel, focusing on luxury barge travel in France, in 1997. Son-in-law Chip Banister joined the business in 2009, staying on until 2020. Don and Sally operated the business together until the end of 2023.

Sally’s grandson Tristram Banister was born in January of 2023 - Sally shined in her role as a loving and devoted grandmother, sharing in the caregiving each week since his birth. Sally first and foremost appreciated her family and friends; in addition, she enjoyed fine food, wine, French travel, and gazing at water views. Sally filled her life with dear friends - many of whom she met at Dickinson College or soon after that at NSA - meeting with them for lunch weekly. Close friends include Sharon Bradford, Liz Driscoll, Peggy Flynn, Christi Granger, Mary Marchegiano, Marianna and Jack Phillips, Charlie Prout, Carol Rosenthal, Kay Welti, and Susan Zevin.

Sally passed away suddenly from heart failure with contributing factors from renal cell carcinoma at the age of 79 on September 17, 2024. She is survived by her daughter, Lisa Dillin; grandson, Tristram Banister; son-in-law, Chip Banister; and former spouse, Don Dillin, as well as extended family in Iowa, including her cousin Carol Martin.

Sally Dillin photo collection: https://tinyurl.com/5eawnxpa