John E. “Jack” Dillon
John “Jack” Edmund Dillon Jr. (86) passed away peacefully and returned to Our Lord on Friday, April 17, 2026 in Goleta, California where he had lived since 1982.
Jack was born on September 30, 1939 to John E. Sr. and Anne R. Dillon (neé Boyle) in the Jackson Heights section of Queens, New York City, and would become the oldest of 5 children in an all-Irish, Catholic household. In 1951, Jack and his family moved to Silver Spring, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, DC, when his father obtained a position with the U.S. Department of Labor.
Like many Irish-Catholic families of that time, the oldest son was encouraged to become a priest, which is what Jack eventually did. Jack attended parochial/Catholic schools his entire life in New York City, Silver Spring, Baltimore, and Rome, Italy (seminary training). On December 16, 1964, Jack was ordained a Roman Catholic priest at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and returned to the United States where he was a parish priest at St. Anthony’s Parish in the Archdiocese of Washington, DC. Jack eventually left the priesthood, and made his way to working in the elder care industry.
While in the DC area, Jack met and fell in love with Karen Rose Turelli, and on November 15, 1969, they were married and moved to San Francisco to begin their life together. Jack and Karen would live in “The City” for the next several years and have three children.
Jack got his first Administrator position at The Sequoias, a retirement community in Portola Valley, CA, and moved the family to Palo Alto where they lived until 1983. In 1982, Jack was headhunted to take the Administrator position at Casa Dorinda in Montecito, CA, and his family followed him down to Goleta the following year. Jack would work at Casa Dorinda for the next 18 years until his retirement in 2000, and the highlight of his tenure there was coordinating the design and construction of the on-site Skilled Nursing Facility.
Jack is survived by his wife of 56 years, Karen Rose Dillon, son Malachy “Mal” John (wife Theresa and grandsons Aiden and Liam) of California, son William Khoury (wife Nicole, granddaughters Samantha and Tatum, and grandson Logan) of Colorado, and daughter Meredith Anne (husband Mike Weidaw, granddaughter Jaclyn, and grandson Jake) of California. Jack is also survived by his brother Kevin (wife Peggy) of Virginia, sister Ann Marie Wilkinson (husband Steve) of Maryland, sister Theresa “Tess” Dillon of Maryland, sister-in-law Loretta Blessinger (husband Roger Rakestraw) of Colorado, and numerous nieces, nephews, and friends. Jack was preceded in death by his brother Thomas “Tom” Dillon (wife Michele) of Maryland and brother-in-law David “Dave” Donley (husband of Tess Dillon) of Maryland.
Jack had a wonderful sense of humor, and his family requests that any donations be made in his name to the HUMAN FUND. Alternatively, donations can also be made to the Heritage House employee fund (www.heritagehousesb.com). Jack and Karen have spent the past 2.5 years living at Heritage House where the staff has taken great care of them. Caregiving to/for the elderly is a challenging and often thankless job, but the work they do is critical and very much appreciated!
A celebration of life memorial service will be held sometime in the summer (TBD) at Goleta Beach where he and his wife loved to visit every day. Attire: California casual.
