By:Nicole Falco
Despite all she knew about her daughter, Dillon didn't realize just how much of an impact Vinas had on the lives she touched. That realization has been a source of comfort to Dillon since Vinas' death in a car accident June 12.
"Her family, both the Vinas and Dillons, the outpouring of love from Valley Stream and Blessed Sacrament Church are what helped me get through [the wake and funeral]. Neighbors, teachers, her guidance counselor from Central, I was amazed," Dillon said.
Vinas, a Central High School graduate, was driving home on Sunrise Highway west at 3:45 a.m. near Oakland Avenue when she apparently lost control of her 2001 Honda Civic and veered onto the shoulder, hitting a parked tractor-trailer.
Though Vinas moved to Wantagh three years ago, after her mother remarried, Vinas still had strong ties to Valley Stream because of the many friends she had made here. She affectionately referred to Valley Stream as "the valley."
Because of those strong ties, the family did not think twice about where they would have Vinas' wake and funeral service. Vinas was waked at Lieber Funeral Home where over two hundred friends and family members packed the funeral home and spilled out into the parking lot. Funeral services were offered at Blessed Sacrament.
"They had to turn people away because there were so many people at the funeral home," said John Dillon, Vinas' stepfather.
It was during the wake that Dillon heard others share fond memories of Vinas. One young man told how Vinas had befriended him when others thought him "weird"; Dillon's Wantagh neighbors told how Vinas always made time to roll down her car window to offer a smile and a hello. Her boss came, as did the nurses at the orthopedist's office where Vinas was being treated, and the hairdresser she had been seeing since she was 15-years-old.
Brooke Falcone, 21, one of Vinas' best friends from Valley Stream said, "[Jillian] was the epitome of a best friend, of what you want a friend to be. She set the standard so high."
Vinas' three college roommates, Melissa Amato, Katy Davidson and Lauren Hamlin were also at Vinas' wake. Dillon said her daughter had a way of intertwining all of her friends.
Amato, 21, said, "She was always living life and having a good time. We were very good at staying up late, chit-chatting about where we were going after college; everything under the sun I knew about [Jillian]."
Though no one could have foreseen the tragic accident, Vinas' family could not have spent a more perfect weekend together prior to that Wednesday.
Vinas spent Friday with her mother and stepfather, celebrating her stepfather's parents' 45th anniversary. Vinas loved her stepfather's parents, John Sr. and Mary, and enjoyed hearing the story of their courtship.
On Saturday, Vinas attended the wedding of a family friend in Lloyd Harbor. Not only did she spend the evening with her mom and step-dad, but her father, John Vinas, and stepmother, Roseann, were also at the wedding. While some children take the divorce of their parents hard, Vinas accepted it and would often say she had four parents. She was close with both of her stepparents' families including Roseann's mom, Peggy Paratore, who died a couple of years ago.
Then, on Sunday, the family gathered for a barbecue to celebrate the fourth birthday of her brother Jonathan's daughter, Jordan.
"Jordan, I have to say, I think will have Jillian's personality. Jordan lights up the room [like Jillian] and she already loves to dance," Dillon said.
Among those at the barbecue were Vinas' three brothers, Jonathan, 23, and his wife, Mindy, of Coram; Daniel, 25, of Amityville; and David, 28, and his wife, Jennifer, of Fairfield, CT.
"I feel [that weekend] was God's last gift to me. If I look back, I can honestly say I couldn't have had a better weekend with her," Dillon said.
Vinas had come home from Towson University in Maryland in mid-May. Throughout the school year she would come home about once a month. When she wasn't able to come home, she would call. Her stepfather often joked the phone must have been attached to her ear; there were times when she had two phones going at once.
Not surprisingly, Vinas was a communications major. She hadn't decided what she would do after graduation, but Dillon said her daughter knew she wouldn't enjoy working a nine-to-five job, sitting behind a desk. The two had recently discussed the possibility of Vinas working as a tour guide or cruise director. Whatever it was, it would have been focused on people. Vinas had been working weekends at the Hart Agency, a promotions company.
Ironically, a car accident last September had given Vinas a new outlook on life.
"I think that accident had matured Jilly. Her daily passion for life was increased. She was going to get the most out of life since that accident in September," Vinas' stepfather said.
Vinas had been stuck in traffic on Pennsylvania's Route 81 when she was struck from behind by a tractor-trailer. She suffered a concussion and back injuries and was still re-cooperating from that accident, physically.
Vinas is also survived by her grandmother, Ruth Vinas, of Texas; many aunts, uncles, cousins, and other relatives; and she is remembered by many friends both on Long Island and from college.
