Ana Sophia Dillon-Hammond

Ana Sophia Dillon-Hammond was born on February 12, 1988, on a beautiful summer day, with the sun shining down on her cherubic face in Piura, Peru and passed from this world on August 29, 2022, in Annandale, Virginia, befittingly another sunny summer day.

She opened her wings to eternity at the age of 34 while surrounded by her beloved community of family and friends.

Sophia is survived by her husband Christopher, her parents Ana Maria and Marco, and her two siblings Diana and Anthony, and our beloved Tommy.

Sophia attended Annandale High School and went on to graduate with honors with a Master’s degree in Education from Marymount University. Her true passion was being an English teacher where she taught at Chantilly HS for two years and then transferred to her alma mater, Annandale HS, where she taught for eight years. During those short years as an educator, she revamped the school’s literacy program and exponentially raised the learning level of all her students. She became the English Department Team Leader and developed innovative learning plans that addressed and reduced student learning gaps. She researched and created reading lists tailored to a new generation who, thanks to her, became avid readers.

Sophia met the love of her life, her soulmate, her best friend, Christopher, 17 years ago while working at a restaurant in Annandale, VA. They were married on September 26, 2015 and spent the last 17 years by each other’s side. They were inseparable. She was his Jellybean. Together they raised their fur baby, an adopted Pitbull named Bean.

Sophia has a large family full of aunts, uncles, and cousins, but she also created an extended family of beloved friends that were rolled into the Dillon family fold. Most of all she poured all her love into being a part of little Tommy’s life, guiding him through childhood- exploring wooded parks, tie-dying shirts in the summer & laughing the day away at the beach.

Sophia was a huge presence, full of love, loud belly laughs, deep intelligence, creativity and so much more. Sophia was bright, cheerful and vibrant, and her lively presence commanded the room.

Sophia loved doting on her family and friends, whether it be cooking delicious Peruvian dishes, creating amazing works of art, crocheting beautiful blankets and scarves, being a listening ear to whom ever needed it, or a shoulder to cry on.

Sophia was endlessly passionate about education, a teacher through and through. Her colleagues loved and respected her, and her students adored her. She was always looking at things through the eyes of her students to ensure she was meeting their needs and teaching them knowledge to last a lifetime.

Sophia touched the lives of her students and was loved by her peers. Passionate about justice and equality, she was always an advocate for those in need. Her culture and upbringing helped establish strong and proud roots and she strengthened her community through her work as a teacher.

Knowing Sophia meant being engulfed in warmth and light, music and spices, laughter, and joy. While the loss of Sophia has rocked those who knew her to their core, the legacy she leaves is one that will outlast many lifetimes. We will always cherish the time that we were afforded with her presence and cherish the memories that we are left with from her time spent with us.