Jill DeLisle Hearey

Jill DeLisle Hearey passed away peacefully on January 7, 2026. She was 41 and a longtime resident of the Hattie Larlham Foundation in Mantua, Ohio.

Jill was born in Cleveland on August 23, 1984. Because of complications at her birth, she sustained severe brain injuries that left her with profound disabilities. At age two and a half, she moved to Hattie Larlham where she received expert and loving care for 39 years.

Hattie Larlham’s motto is “Love, Joy and Achievement.” Jill’s professional medical team, assisted by her devoted caregiver and best friend Therese Miller, practiced all three. Therese and Jill were inseparable for thirty years. She accompanied Jill on virtually every off-site medical appointment and procedure and planned special outings for her including innumerable trips to parks, theaters, Cavs games, Blossom concerts, ice shows, and home visits. Therese even sourced a specialized ebike with a wheelchair attachment so that Jill could experience the thrill of cycling and the feeling of the wind in her hair.

Jill enjoyed interacting with people of all stripes. Though she lacked the capacity to walk, talk, or even gesture, those who knew her felt she understood, as a little one might, that the world was filled with family and friends who loved her and cared about her. When a familiar face and voice called her by name and spoke to her, she would smile in recognition of feelings that she understood in her own way without needing to know the meaning of any words. Jill also underwent numerous difficult medical and orthopedic interventions throughout her life.  She endured the challenges of her condition with determination, grit, and limitless courage.

Jill is survived by her mother Dianne V. Foley (Bernard Demoreuille), father Bruce G. Hearey (Stephanie Sava), brothers Leif A. Dormsjo (Kristin Barcak) and Owen F. Hearey (Deema Dahleh), nephews Sven and Henrik Dormsjo, stepbrothers Alex, Charlie, Corey, and Henry Boeschenstein, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. Jill is also survived by Therese Miller (David) and their three children who in every sense were Jill’s second family.

The family suggests that donations in lieu of flowers be directed to the Hattie Larlham Foundation, 9772 Diagonal Road, Mantua, OH 44255.

A funeral Mass for Jill is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 21 at the Church of St. Dominic, 19000 Van Aken Blvd., Shaker Heights, OH 44122. A reception with the family immediately follows the Mass at the Cleveland Skating Club, 2500 Kemper Road, Shaker Hts., OH 44120. FRIENDS MAY CALL AT BROWN-FORWARD FUNERAL HOME, 17022 CHAGRIN BLVD., SHAKER HTS., OH 44120 ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20 FROM 5 TO 7 PM.