Jennifer Ann (Lewis) Dillavou

CHAMPAIGN - Jennifer Ann (Lewis) Dillavou, 64, of Champaign died Saturday (April 29, 2023) at home, surrounded by her family and dogs, Piper and Franco.

Jennifer was born Dec. 31, 1958, in Peru, Ind., the daughter of John V. and Joyce L. (Bradley) Lewis. In December 2018, she married Tom Dillavou, and he survives.

She is also survived by her sons, John Maxwell McCarty of Bend, Ore., and Jacob Morris McCarty of Washington, D.C.; stepdaughter, Kourtney (Ryan) Pullen of Dallas, Texas; stepson, Travis Dillavou of Houston, Texas; brothers, Dr. Jay (Kathy) Lewis of Peru and Jeffrey Lewis of Darmstadt, Germany; nephew, Matthew (Tracy) Lewis of Peru; niece, Rachel (Andy) Richey of Logansport, Ind.; great-nephews, James Lewis of Peru, Charlie Lewis of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and Owen, Colin, Aiden and Jackson Richey of Logansport; and great-nieces, Grace Lewis of Peru and Cate Lewis of Chagrin Falls.

She was preceded in death by her parents; nephew, Andrew Lewis; and great-niece, Virginia Anne Lewis.

At the age of 6, Jennifer and her family moved to Champaign. She attended Carrie Busey Elementary, Jefferson Junior High and graduated in 1977 from Centennial High School. She received her Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Illinois in 1981.

Jennifer's professional career took her into the world of college and university relations. She worked for the University of Illinois Foundation and was then named campaign director for Indiana University/Bloomington. She became the director of alumni relations at Georgia State University in Atlanta and in 1998 was named to a similar position at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Jennifer also served alumni relations at the University of Pittsburgh. In December 2012, she began her tenure as the president of the alumni association at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Jennifer reached the pinnacle of her professional career in 2017 when she returned to her alma mater as president of the University of Illinois Alumni Association and associate vice chancellor for alumni affairs. In so doing, Jennifer became the first female president of the alliance and only the second woman in the Big Ten Conference to hold a similar position. She served until her passing.

In 2018 she was honored by the UI College of Education as an outstanding alumna. In 2019, she was named an outstanding alumna by the Champaign-Urbana Schools Foundation. On three occasions, she was the first woman to hold a given position, and on three other occasions, she was the youngest person to do so. She transformed programs and pioneered ideas; she laughed big and dreamed bigger; she entered rooms of strangers and coworkers and exited with friends and family.

Early in her multi-campus journey, Jenny became a mother. Raised in alumni houses, Max was born in 1988 and Jake in 1992 - both in Indianapolis. The source of more laughs, more memories and more grey hairs than can be summarized, by Jenny's admission, motherhood was her greatest joy, and Max and Jake were the highlights of her life. In her final days, Jenny mentioned that her idea of heaven was to live in a small house with her sons as young boys, focusing only on their happiness and care.

Late in life, the two men in Jenny's life would become three after (re)meeting Tom, a fellow graduate of Centennial High and a year behind Jenny. Tom once said that girls a year older were "unattainable."? Good things came to those who waited, however, and after their respective returns to Champaign and a quick romance, the two wed. Tom became the source of some of Jenny's favorite stories and fondest memories; the two would be nearly inseparable for the next five years.

A savvy leader and challenger to some, a friend and mentor to countless, a joy to all and a mother, wife and sister to the luckiest people on Earth, Jenny will be dearly missed.

All are welcome to celebrate Jennifer's life at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 4, at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, with a reception to follow at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center, 601 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:30 a.m. Friday, May 5, at St. Matthew's Catholic Church, Champaign, with the Rev. Dennis Lewis presiding.