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 Christophe Vistelle married his long-time girlfriend Alexandra Von Mering at the
county courthouse in Gainesville, Florida on Nov. 4, 2017. Their wedding was held Nov. 5 in a chapel on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville.
The ceremony was officiated by their 7th grade science teacher whose class they attended together as teens. The happy couple honeymooned in St. Augustine, Florida.
We wish them joy and prosperity in their life together! |
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Dick and Bonnie Kampa visited San Francisco recently with their good friends
from Arizona, Cleo and Terry Gautsch. While there they got together with Rae Bordua for lunch al fresco at the Ferry Building and to surprise her with some precious original Stimler and Kampa family ancestor photographs once owned and cherished by Dick's Aunt Frances Windhurst (née Kampa), as follows:
Rev. S. Urbanke [signed "With compliments (Dec. 11th, '98)"]; siblings Emma and Ed Kampa, eldest children of Cora and Frank Kampa,
taken approximately 1900; wedding picture of "Aunt Mary Kampa Stimler and husband Tony, Foley, Minnesota"; baby
picture of "Rupert Stimler, oldest son of Aunt Mary and Tony Stimler of Foley, Minnesota"; one of "Rupert and Helen Stimler, eldest children of Aunt Mary Kampa Stimler, Foley, Minnesota";
two different pictures of Helen Stimler as a young woman, both taken around the same time in 1926 shortly before she passed away in childbirth; "Aunt Mary Kampa Stimler, Uncle Tony Stimler and children" in front of their
home in Foley, along with an unidentified man, their Uncle Paul Stimmler and the family automobile; baby picture of Ann Stimler; and postcard baby picture of "Cousin Joseph A. Stimler, son of Tony and Mary Stimler, Foley, Minnesota" posed with the
family's Irish Setter dog, Major. (If anyone has any information about Rev. S. Urbanke and his connection to the family, please let us know!) We cannot express how grateful we are to Dick and his Aunt Frances for the donation of these priceless treasures. |
| Bob Mullally was among a group of La Crosse area veterans recognized for their service on a Freedom Honor Flight day trip to
Washington, D.C. in September 2017, returning later that same evening with a welcome home celebration. There is an article and video about the event on WKBT-TV La Crosse.
Starting at second 28 of this video, you can see Bob's daughter Barb leave the picture on the left and wife MaryAnn sitting at the table.
Lois and Ralph Mullally have friends in high places, and they have the photo to prove it! |
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There are new photos of Cora Ida Kampa (née Latterell)
(1877-1941) and her mother, Philoméne Latterell (née Nolette) (1843-1922),
including the wedding photograph of Cora Latterell and Frank James Kampa, with her brother Levi B. Latterell as Best Man and Frank's beautiful young sister Mary Theresa Kampa as Maid of Honor in 1896.
There are new photos of John Stimmler (1915-2007) as a member of the 1940 wedding party of Gladys Goenner and Vallard B. Molin, and
John's wedding photo with bride Ida Bender, and Leone and Chester Goenner. There also is a new picture of Walter H. Anderson
(1903-1973) later in life, and an 1876 map of Jay, Essex, New York. We've discovered a copy of the
birth record of Magdalene C. Stimmler, Wilwisheim, Bas-Rhin, France of November 15, 1824. Thanks to the research of
Balder family cousin Marlene Armentrout, there are new biographies for couple Elsie M. Kane (née Balder) (1890-1961) and
James Patrick Kane (1882-1963), in addition to obituaries for sisters Mrs. Elsie Kane (née Balder) and
Mrs. Adelaide M. Laughery (née Balder). Marlene has discovered further information about her grandfather,
Reuben Leo Balder and as a result made some changes in the biography she wrote about him. Thank you, Marlene, for sharing your hard work with the family! |
 In 2017 a memorial homage was held for
Richard Vistelle in Reims, France. Daughter Mélanie described the event: "The school band (which Dad loved) played songs for about 15 min. Then there
were speeches by the current president of the university and the Dean of Pharmacy. Afterwards, we walked into the courtyard where a plaque with his name on it was unveiled. We had champagne, finger food and
mingled with people who would come up to us and share memories that they had of him."There was an article written in French about Richard, the president of the University of Reims from 2007-2012, the year of his sudden death. The college of medicine named its courtyard
after him calling it "place Richard-Vistelle." The ceremony took place in the presence of many faculty, friends and family. Richard Vistelle was unconventional and one of the most enjoyable people to
cross paths with. Olivier Dupéron, vice president of the university described him as being "a very likable person that you become attached to." Raymond Virot, the head of numerous committees at the
University said "With others I don't know, but with me he was always very nice. You didn't need a certified letter when you wanted to see hum, within 5 minutes his door was open." Camille Mangin, his
brother in-law, described him as having "the patience of a saint with children. He would spend hours putting together Playmobil sets with them." The current president of the university, Guillaume Gellé,
remembered when Richard "arrived late to meet with the mayor of Reims because he walked through the courtyard on his way out and stopped to greet everyone he knew." And he knew a lot of people! The Dean of
Pharmacy, Jean-Marc Millot, said "he was a great man and we liked him a lot."Family and friends are very proud of Richard for the profound and positive impact he had on so many people's lives. We are gratified to see him receive the recognition
he richly deserved from the educational institution he supported and so dearly loved for many years.
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Brothers Nick and Keegan Donofrio are members of Paper Nautilus Studios. In PARA BELLUM - Ad #3 ~ Natural Order , Nick plays the part of
a Geryonean Captain who takes it upon himself to remind a group of Nameless of the Natural Order.Keegan is the affable star of reality series GutToCut, in which he embarks on a journey to lose weight for his upcoming role in Paper Nautilus Studios' production: PARA BELLUM. So far he's in three
videos: GutToCut ~ Vol 0.5 - Intro Teaser, GutToCut ~ Vol 1 - #Confidence, and GutToCut ~ Vol 2 - Fitness Test.
We wish Nick, Keegan and Paper Nautilus Studios the best of luck in their upcoming projects!
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Thanks to the research of Marlene Armentrout, there are now biographies for Bertha Johanna Balder (1888-1889), and siblings Charles Otto Balder (1919-2008) and Grace Marie Look (née Balder) (1923-2008).
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 Rod Will, of Peebles Valley, Arizona and Clarkston, Michigan, passed away
unexpectedly June 9, 2017 at age 72.
He was a loving husband of Joan for 50 years; beloved father of Erik, Peter, and Paul, and surrogate dad to Jessica; proud grandpa of Hope,
Kayla, Jaszek, Horizon, and Sada; brother of Harlan, Marnie, and Juliene Hewitt.
Rod retired from DuPont after 27 years of service. He was a proud Combat Surgeon with the 1st Cav in Vietnam and had a great love for Arizona.
Inurnment is at Gettysburg National Cemetery. Memorials may be made to United States War Dogs Association. |
 Diane Delores Hansgen, age 66, St. Joseph, MN, passed away unexpectedly at her home on Thursday, May 11, 2017.
Visitation was Wednesday, May 17, 2017 from 4:00 to 8:00 PM at Benson Funeral Home, St. Cloud, MN. Mass of Christian Burial was held on Thursday, May 18, 2017 at 10:30 AM at St. Lawrence Catholic Church, Duelm, MN.
Burial was in St. Lawrence Catholic Cemetery, Duelm, MN. Diane was born on February 11, 1951 in St. Cloud, MN to Roy and Irene (Smelter) Jurek. After graduating from Foley High School in 1969, Diane married Nick Hansgen on
July 11, 1971 at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Duelm. Diane worked for many years as a regional sales manager at St. Cloud Restaurant Supply and then as the operations manager at
Crossroads Liquor which she and Nick owned together. Most recently she worked at Thomsen's Greenhouse and at the Crossroads Center Target store with distant relative Sharon Farrah.
Diane will be remembered for her generosity, putting others first, and her gift of gab. Survivors include her sons, Nick "J.R." (Jessica) Hansgen, Jr. of Chanhassen, MN;
Kris Hansgen of Plymouth, MN; her two wonderful grandsons, Cole and Blake Hansgen; brothers and sisters, Carol McNeal of St. Joseph; Bob Jurek of Duelm, MN; Curt (Mary) Jurek of Duelm, MN;
Cindi (Lyden) Moe of Duelm, MN; and numerous nieces and nephews whom she cherished. |
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Molly D. Shepard's, Peter J. Dean's, and Jane K. Stimmler's Breaking into the Boys' Club: The Complete Guide for Women to Get Ahead in Business is now available in Czech!
This blockbuster book provides honest, forward-thinking and practical insights for women in the areas of corporate politics, networking, and communication styles, in addition to observations on how to achieve balance at work and at home.
Now Breaking into the Boy's Club will help Czechoslovakian woman in their own language understand how to enhance leadership and managerial skills. Congratulations to Jane and her co-authors on their new international audience!
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Cousins MacKenzie Kampa and Mélanie Vistelle shared the aspiration of entering the nursing field. In these brief videos, they tell the inspiring and heartfelt story of how they each set out on the path to realize their goal.Here MacKenzie talks about becoming a nurse.
And here Mélanie talks about becoming a nurse.
We hope these videos motivate and galvinize others in the family to enter this caring, compassionate field, and to follow their dreams. Thank you, MacKenzie and Mél!
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Brian Stimmler is a Foreign Service Officer currently serving as Counselor for Public Affairs at U.S. Embassy Sofia, Bulgaria.
He previously served in Turkmenistan, Serbia, Japan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Washington. Before joining the Foreign Service, Brian worked at Open Society Institute in New York City and taught Russian language at Princeton University and Brigham Young University. He holds a B.A. in Russian from BYU and a joint Ph.D. in Slavic Linguistics and Theoretical Linguistics from Princeton University.
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There are new biographies for Clara Theresa Blattner (née Herbst) (1883-1964), Clara Odelia Lauer (née Abfalter) (1912-1992) and Donna Marilyn Seymore (née Abfalter) (1937-2011),
along with a copy of Caroline Ann Herbst (née Balder)'s Will dated Sept. 20, 1916.
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In early February Judy Kampa and her friend Duane met with Dick and Bonnie Kampa while they were visiting Cottonwood, Arizona, an interesting old mining town that's been rejuvenated. Judy is still in the pottery business and has a shop there. In the photograph at left Bonnie is holding one of her pieces that she and Dick bought.
Later on that same month Dick and Bonnie travelled to Oaxaca Mexico to visit a village where their church has helped fund the construction of a home for the elderly.
A group that Dick and Bonnie belong to will visit Cottonwood for a couple days this coming September. They will tour Judy's home workshop and see a display of her works, and probably buy some too.
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Martin Holz, age 80, of Rosendahl, Germany, died December 28, 2016. A Memorial Mass was held Monday. January 2nd, 2017, at 2:00 p.m., at St. Fabian und Sebastian Church in Rosendahl-Osterwick.
Martin Holz was related to the Balder family through the Voerding line in Germany, via Catherine "Katie" Mary Balder (née Voerding) to be precise (which Martin was). He had a passion for genealogy and was an invaluable resource not only in researching the Balders but also the Stimmler/Stimler family line origins in Germany. His opus was a book he completed on Osterwick genealogy a few years before he passed away. Martin was incredibly generous with his time and expertise, and he will be very much missed by his many friends, family, and fellow researchers.
He is survived by his beloved wife of over 50 years, Hildegard; sons and daughters, Thomas (Britta), Sabina, and Martina (Dieter); and granddaughters Cheyenne, Joelle and Justine.
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Susan Stimmler Ulrich, 61, of Punta Gorda, Florida passed away after a six-year battle with cancer on November 27, 2016.
She was born on July 11, 1955 in Chokio, Minnesota to John and Ruth Stimmler.
Susan is survived by her husband, Phil Ulrich of Punta Gorda, Florida, brothers Bill Stimmler, Palo Alto, California, Jim Stimmler, Burnsville, Minnesota; sister Joan Johnshoy, Rochester, Minnesota; and many extended family members and friends.
She attended many universities and earned a degree in Botany.
Susan was a real estate appraiser and enjoyed owning several small businesses.
She will be greatly missed.
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  Amanda Meddaugh (daughter of Carol (Kampa) Buczak) married Josip Sabol on March 19, 2016 at the Harley Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, WI. Amanda is a patrol officer with the Baraboo, WI Police Dept. Joe is a detective with the Sauk County Sheriff's Dept. In true "law enforcement" fashion, there was not a traditional wedding cake. Instead, they had (what else?) - doughnuts!
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Fabian Schaaf, age 93, of Foley, died December 14, 2016. A Memorial Mass was held Tuesday. December 20, 2016, at 10:30 a.m., at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Duelm, Minnesota. The Rev. Virgil Helmin officiated. Fabian donated his body to the University of Minnesota.
Fabian Schaaf was born on March 16, 1923 in Bordulac, North Dakota, to John and Cecelia (Kampa) Schaaf. The family moved to Minnesota in 1931. He graduated from Foley high School in 1941 and worked on the family farm. He married Theresa Keleher
on September 29, 1952. In 1960, he began to work as an auto mechanic. In 1965, he got a job at Gallagher Implement in Clear Lake, Minnesota and worked there until 1973. After that, he worked as a security guard at Northern States power plant in Becker for about 10 years. Later in life he volunteered for the Foster Grandparent Program at Foley Elementary School for 10 years. He also taught religion classes at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Duelm. During retirement he enjoyed visiting and playing cribbage with the group at Santiago Town Hall.
He is survived by his sons and daughters. Patrice Schaaf, Foley; Sharon Farrah (Bob Seger) St. Cloud; Ken Schaaf, Minneapolis; Linda (John) Krotzer, Milaca; Tim Schaaf, Foley; Margie Schaaf (Mike Walcheski), Foley, six grandchildren: Kaelie Farrah, Nathan Farrah (Cristina Sewill), Jeremiah Krotzer (Stacy Hutchens). Joshua Krotzer, Andrew Walcheski, Devrin Walcheski, and three great-grandchildren: Emilia, Caleb, and Corbin. He was preceded in death by his wife Theresa.
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John K. Munson died peacefully at The Terraces of Los Gatos on December 9th at the age of 86.
John, known as Jack by his family, was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota as the Depression began, and spent his early years in the Twin Cities, skipping two grades as a young boy. As a young adult, John pursued degrees in Chemical Engineering at the University of Minnesota and University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, where he met Dorothy Drewes, his wife of 63 years.
Throughout his university years, John was a member of the R.O.T.C. and served in the Army at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama from 1953 to 1956, where he taught at the Army Guided Missile School, and where his two oldest children were born. With the Army, he worked on some of the early designs for the space program.
John was a pioneer in the computer industry, moving around the country and overseas for Du Pont, Control Data Corporation, General Electric and ComputerVision. He and his family moved to Silicon Valley in 1969. John managed major computer installations around the world, including an extended period behind the Iron Curtain in the early 1970s installing systems in Romania.
John is survived by his wife and four children, Bradley Munson, Gregory Munson, Judith Kemp and Kenneth Munson, and four grandchildren, Jacqueline Kemp, Troy Munson, Evan Kemp and Lauren Munson, and by his sister, Janet Deming. His family is grateful for the care and attention he received at The Terraces and by the members of the Vitas Hospice providers.
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There are new photographs of Isabel "Isy" Kampa (née Morris), Mrs. Roy J. Mullally, Ruth Mullally, Marie and Spence Stimler, attendees of the June 2000 Stimler-Kampa family reunion, and a reunion at the Kampa gravestone in July 2007. Another recent addition is a letter from Joseph Kampa to son Don Kampa and family, dated Feb. 9, 1953.
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MacKenzie Kampa and Evan Deam were married recently at a small private ceremony attended
by close family.
MacKenzie is an Emergency Room Nurse at Overlake Medical Center in Bellevue, Washington, and is taking exams to qualify for studies in a degree that will lead her to become a Physician's Assistant. She's applying to the U.S. Air Force for a program to serve after or while studying for the degree. Evan, from Minnesota, works in the same hospital and they sometimes they even work together.
Congratulations to the happy couple! We wish them laughter, contentment and prosperity as they celebrate the love they share now and in the years to come.
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Gilbert "Al" O'Konek, age 88, passed away September 15, 2016. Preceded in death by his son,
Gary; parents and several brothers and a sister, Genevieve. Survived by children, Joseph (Carolyn),
Margo (Richard) Berg, Kelly (Jeffrey) Gilchrist, Lisa (Mark) Blomster and Terry (Angela); many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, 1 great-great-grandson; sisters, Mary Ann Moog and Mildred Reitsma; brothers, Herman and Virgil.
Memorial service 11 AM Friday, September 23 at Woodbury Peaceful Grove UMC, 7465 Steepleview Road, Woodbury. Visitation at the church from 10-11 AM Friday. Private interment Ft Snelling National Cemetery.
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Frank Stimmler, owner of McDonald’s in Jefferson, New Jersey celebrated the 28th anniversary of the restaurant on August 29, 2016. Over the years Frank has
run almost 1000 charity pancake breakfast fundraisers for local sports teams, school bands, scout groups and other nonprofit organizations. Not only does Frank supply all of the material for the fundraiser, he cooks the
pancakes himself. Way to go, Frank! Your multi-year commitment to support youth athletic, music and other programs is outstanding.
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There are new biographies for siblings Mary "Mary" Frances Pollard (1897-1907),
George Anthony Pollard (1899-1974), Ambrose Joseph Pollard (1900-1965),
James Albert Pollard (1904-1971), and Aloysius John Pollard (1905-1969), as well as their nephew
Leonard Francis Pollard (1928-1999). Other recent additions are the WWII Veteran Compensation Application for Joseph A. Stimmler, Jr. dated June 7, 1950,
a great photograph of the Mullally Family at Christmas in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota 1953, and a 1945 Wayzata newspaper article about acting football captain, Richard Stimler.
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Nam To passed away peacefully in his sleep on Monday, February 29th, 2016. He was 96 years old.
Mr. To was born on July 4, 1920 in Phüóc Long, Vietnam. He received his education in China and moved back to Vietnam to start
a fabric wholesale business in Saigon. He married his wife, Hoang Van Ong, in 1951. Their two children, Phuong and Kenny, were born soon thereafter.
Despite the success of Mr. To's fabric business, the fall of Saigon and the subsequent Communist regime made the family's life in Saigon difficult. Mr. To decided the best path to securing their future would be to escape
Vietnam and seek a better life elsewhere. After a brief stay in a refugee camp in Thailand, Mr. To and his family were accepted into the Vietnamese refugee program offered by the United States; they arrived in Austin, Texas
in June of 1979. Compared to the uncertainty and turmoil taking place in Vietnam, life in the United States was smooth, promising, and full of opportunity. Mr. To and his family thrived in the new environment.
Mr. To was extremely proud to receive his U.S. citizenship in 1987 at age 65. He mourned the loss of his wife in June 1988. Over the years, he travelled the world to visit relatives and friends in far-flung locations around
the globe. He was extraordinarily pleased to see his children marry and start families of their own. He enjoyed reading, practicing Chinese calligraphy, and taking walks around the neighborhood. Mr. To is survived by his son,
Kenny Su, and daughter-in-law, Marry Su; his daughter, Phuong Kampa, and son-in-law, Ron Kampa; and his four grandchildren, Rylee Su, Hayley Su,
Kelle Kampa, and Kyle Kampa.
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Celestine 'Sally' M. Kampa, age 86, of Foley, died Sunday, February 28, 2016 at the Foley Nursing Center.
Mass of Christian Burial was at 10:30 AM Thursday, March 3, 2016 at St. Lawrence Catholic Church, Duelm. The Rev. Virgil Helmin officiated. Burial was in the Parish Cemetery.
Sally Kampa was born July 17, 1929 in Elrosa, Minnesota to Otto and Clementine (Roelike) Nickols. She married Ralph Kampa on June 18, 1951 at SS. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Elrosa.
Sally graduated from high school and attended in both Belgrade and St. Cloud Cathedral. The couple made their home in St. George Township near Duelm where they farmed. She was a member of St. Lawrence Catholic Church where she
was a Eucharistic Minister and a member of the St. Lucille Mission Group. For many years she was secretary for the Duelm mens bowling league in Foley. She enjoyed musical instruments, singing and playing cards with family and
friends. She also enjoyed traveling, including two trips to Montana and Chicago on her first airplane ride.
She is survived by her son and daughter; Kevin, Foley and Kim Stachowski, Foley; 4 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren and sisters; Joyce Wehlage, St. Cloud and Dianne Nickols of Petoskey, MI.
Memorials are preferred in lieu of flowers.
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Gregory F. Metzger, age 59 of Oakdale, MN formerly of Becker, MN passed away suddenly
June 27, 2015. He is survived by his children Jenny (Michael) Benysek and their daughter (his only grandchild & fishing buddy) Ashley; Tonia (Nick) Karpen and Anthony Metzger; parents
Fred and Gloria Metzger; siblings Kim Lutz, Teresa Metzger, Mary (Dan) Loegering, Gary (Dawn) Metzger & Chip (Angie) Metzger; many nieces, nephews, family, friends and neighbors. He was an avid outdoorsman and
will be remembered for his selflessness and dedication to his family and friends. A memorial gathering was held Thursday July 2nd from 4 - 8 PM with Prayer Service at 6:00 PM at Sandberg Funeral Home,
2593 E. 7th Ave., North St. Paul. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials collected will be used towards Greg's favorite charities.
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Courtesy of Bill Pollard there are a couple of new orphan photographs for your perusal. We'd really appreciate help identifying either of
the two famlies' members therein. Thank you in advance for your assistance.
There are new biographies for brothers Joseph J. Stimmler and Francis "Frank" X. Stimmler, and Joseph Stimmler (1927-1927) and his mother
Katherine V. Stimmler (née Mahan) (1899-1927). Newspaper research has uncovered two articles about the Dick Qvale-Verna Wright wedding of Sept. 25, 1935, and to help cool everyone off, there's a picture of
Kathleen Stimmler shoveling some of the 28 inches of snow she and Leo received earlier in January this year. Leo Stimmler also has shared an outstanding photograph
of him with his sons Chad and Colin at the Beaver Pond campsite in Harriman Park earlier this month.
Good news: Melanie Vistelle has graduated from the University of Florida College of Nursing with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Her brother
Christophe Vistelle has graduated from the U of Florida magna cum laude, receiving a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree. He's seriously considering pursuing an MD.
Congratulations to them both!
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