Cheryl Dombrow Dillon

Cheryl Dombrow Dillon of Berwyn, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully on August 7. She was born in Chestnut Hill to Walter and Jean (Tobin) Dombrow and was the oldest of five children. She grew up in Gulph Mills and Rosemont and graduated from Harriton High School in 1968.

During junior high, Cheryl “changed” her name to Bobbie. What began as a nickname became a name that stayed with her through college, when she decided that Cheryl suited her again. You could always tell how people knew her by whether they called her Cheryl or Bobbie. Eventually, Bobbie became the name her grandchildren would call her.

After high school, Cheryl attended American University for her freshman year before transferring to Villanova University, where she majored in psychology and education. She was part of Villanova’s first fully coeducational class, where she made lifelong friends and met the love of her life, Michael Dillon.

In true Villanova fashion, Mike proposed to Cheryl at halftime of the Villanova vs. St. Joseph’s basketball game in 1971. Villanova won the game, and so did Mike Dillon. Cheryl and Mike were married in June 1972 at St. Thomas of Villanova.

They welcomed three children in three years: Jennifer, Kevin, and Megan. They first raised their family in Havertown before settling in Berwyn, where Cheryl filled their home with love, laughter, friends, and family. Her home had a million photos to prove it! Cheryl always had a camera with her, and this was long before the iPhone!

Creating community was one of Cheryl’s greatest gifts. Wherever she lived, she surrounded herself with people and turned friends into family. One of her largest communities grew through St. Monica School in Berwyn, where all three of her children attended school and Cheryl became a beloved substitute teacher. She was the kind of person who never simply belonged to a community, she helped build it. She was generous with her time, volunteering at her children’s schools, at church, and with Habitat for Humanity.

Cheryl was a lifelong learner. She continued her education while raising her family, earning master’s degrees in special education from Cabrini University and Eastern University. Her career in academic support spanned many schools and organizations, including Norristown State Hospital, Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School, Wayne Presbyterian Nursery School, St. Patrick School in Malvern, Hatboro-Horsham High School, Wissahickon High School, and Conestoga High School. Throughout her career, she touched the lives of countless young people, always bringing patience, encouragement, and genuine care to her work.

Cheryl somehow got a good 30 hours out of every day, fueled by boundless energy and Wawa coffee.

While Cheryl took education seriously, she never took herself too seriously. She was famous for the “Swedish Fish Game,” which could turn a simple carpool into a game show, with children answering trivia and math questions. If you were correct, your reward was a Swedish Fish candy. She loved making people laugh, creating traditions, and finding joy in the everyday moments that brought people together.

Cheryl loved to travel and treasured exploring new places with family and friends. She also had a special love for the Jersey Shore, where many happy memories were made with Mike, her children, and her grandchildren. She traveled to Ireland and Bermuda with Mike, Japan with Conestoga students, and Italy and the Holy Land with dear friends. Those were just some of the many places she was fortunate enough to visit.

Above all else, Cheryl was devoted to her family and her faith. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, daughter, teacher, and friend. Her greatest legacy is not found in the degrees she earned or the schools where she worked, but in the people, she loved, the students she taught and the communities she created.

Cheryl was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Mike Dillon, and her parents, Walter and Jean Dombrow, and her in-laws, James and Theresa Dillon.

She is survived by her children, Jennifer (Dillon) and Jon Havey of Devon, Pennsylvania; Kevin and Ellie (Sciblo) Dillon of Havertown; and Megan (Dillon) Remsen of Charlotte, North Carolina; and her nine grandchildren, Brooks, Caroline, and Dillon Havey; Braeden, Christian, and Andrew Dillon; and James, Ansley, and Finley Remsen.

She is also survived by her four siblings, Patti (Dombrow) and Joe Pinnelli, Mark Dombrow, Chris Dombrow, and Cindy Dombrow and Bert Pearson, as well as countless friends who became family along the way.

Cheryl remembered every birthday, anniversary, and holiday. She loved sending cards to celebrate each milestone, and it was always the perfect card. In Cheryl’s/Bobbie’s honor, please mail a card to someone special and tell them that you love them. It is a fitting way to carry on one of the many simple acts of kindness that she loved so much.

A visitation will be held at Alleva Funeral Home in Paoli on Wednesday, August 12th, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. On Thursday, August 13th, there will be visitation at 10:00 a.m. at St. Monica Church in Berwyn, followed by a Memorial Mass at 11:00 a.m. A reception will follow.

In true Cheryl/Bobbie fashion, we invite all celebrants to to wear something that connects you to Cheryl/Bobbie: a St. Monica T-shirt, a Villanova shirt, a shirt from one of the many schools where she taught, beach gear from "Down the Shore", or even a pair of Cheryl’s favorite shoes, flip-flops! You can always wear pink, her favorite color.

Let’s fill St. Monica with the people, places, colors, and memories that meant so much to her and celebrate the remarkable woman who brought so many of us together.

In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests that memorial gifts in Cheryl’s memory be made in support of the Comprehensive Parkinson’s Disease & Movement Disorder Center at Jefferson University Hospital.

Gifts can be made online at:

https://giving.jefferson.edu/giving-guide/research/neurological.html

or mailed to:

Jefferson Office of Institutional Advancement

Comprehensive Parkinson’s Disease & Movement Disorder Center

1101 Market Street, 22nd Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19107