Lombard mother and son mourned after fatal I-88 crash

Ashley Skrobot and her son, Alex Skrobot Solis, were huge fans of pop culture. The Lombard mother and son loved to spend entire weekends at area Comic-Con entertainment conventions, family members say.

"Their lives were so full and had so much energy and so much love - so much personality," said John Skrobot, Ashley's father and Alex's grandfather. "The community around them has lost two great people."

Ashley, 30, and Alex, 9, both died this week from injuries they sustained in a Tuesday crash with a semitrailer on Interstate 88 in Lisle.

"They had a love between each other that was just enormous," John Skrobot said. "They were inseparable."

John Skrobot said his daughter was known for being unconventional by dying her hair in "crazy colors" and creating "very crafted, very elegant" makeup with bold colors. Ashley Skrobot was also known for her welcoming personality while working as a bartender at both Ryan's Public House and Phil's Sports Bar & Grill in Brookfield.

"People would go to a specific place that she was working because they knew she was there," John Skrobot said. "They loved to see her smile and just be a part of her life."

He said Alex had a "mind like a sponge" and would grab onto knowledge - particularly about wildlife - and repeat it at unexpected times.

John Skrobot said he would sometimes go online to double-check animal facts shared by Alex only to discover that his grandson had been correct all along.

Alex's uncle, Jeremy Skrobot, also remembers him as a willing and capable craftsman who helped him build a basement bathroom.

"He was helping me do plumbing, putting in tile, painting, mixing concrete and everything," Jeremy Skrobot said. "He was the smartest little guy you ever met in your life."

Ashley Skrobot is survived by her father and mother, Rachel Glenn, four siblings - Brittany, Jamey, Jeremy and Ken - and two nephews. Alex is survived by his father, Robert Solis.

Family members say both Ashley Skrobot and Alex were registered organ donors.

A memorial is planned for sometime in February. The Skrobot family has also set up a GoFundMe page to build a public memorial rose garden.