Barbara Ann Filip

Sending my sincere condolences to Barbara’s family, especially my dear friend Mary. Your selfless care and time given to Barbara during these last years must have brought you both joy and heartache. During our hikes you always spoke of hope and were optimistic for more time with your sister. Your love for Barbara was always there in your words. May these tears you now shed allow you to grieve fully and eventually allow your heart to heal. Hugs to you Mary

Sending my sincere condolences to Barbara’s family, especially my dear friend Mary. Your selfless care and time given to Barbara during these last years must have brought you both joy and heartache. During our hikes you always spoke of hope and were optimistic for more time with your sister. Your love for Barbara was always there in your words. May these tears you now shed allow you to grieve fully and eventually allow your heart to heal. Hugs to you Mary

Barbara will always be my very dear sister and my children's Auntie. I learned so much from her - she taught me how to bake German Chocolate cake (exotic at the time) and lasagna, and her famous pancakes. I remember her home interview in high school with AFS for her studies in France - she was asked what she'd do if she were served fish eye soup and her response was 'Grit my teeth and eat it!' I remember her photo as high school valedictorian with Governor Dreyfus in his famous red vest. We rode our bikes to Devil's Lake quite a few times, and I remember getting to the start of the horrible, long uphill portion on Hwy 12, she taught me to push harder and actually gain speed on the uphills. Our Dad and I also watched her cross the finish line when she ran marathons, he was so very proud as he paced along from the sidelines and handed her water. We worked together for awhile after college and shared an office - it was a very conservative contract research company with Fortune 500 client drop-ins at any time. One day our friend was rollerblading around the halls (very naughty) and Barb hid him under her desk while our boss came in to chat, we laughed until we cried. I remember when she and Tim started their amazing family, little Emily was born right on her due date (the rest of the family couldn't believe it - we were in Vermont for Mary's wedding), and I was with Barb at Henry Vilas Zoo when we had to rush her to the hospital for Jeff. I remember her crying and watching little Jeff as a newborn when he needed an IV. And Frances! I knew their babysitter, Betty, who retired after the Theisen children because there would never be any family as special. I went with the family to Vail and Beaver Creek skiing when Emily was little - which started a love of the mountains for me. In Wisconsin, Friday nights at Devil's Head brought in the winters and saw them transition to spring. I visited Barb many times in Minneapolis when she worked for Cray Supercomputers, and then in Madison when she worked at the University. Barb shaped so many of my ideas on what it means to be successful, on how to balance work and children, on discovering new passions later in life (such as her love of fly fishing). I never realized, until I started thinking about my memories of her, how terribly much I'd miss my sister and how incredibly impactful she was in really key aspects of the lives of so many. Will always love you, sweet Barb.

Barbara will always be my very dear sister and my children's Auntie. I learned so much from her - she taught me how to bake German Chocolate cake (exotic at the time) and lasagna, and her famous pancakes. I remember her home interview in high school with AFS for her studies in France - she was asked what she'd do if she were served fish eye soup and her response was 'Grit my teeth and eat it!' I remember her photo as high school valedictorian with Governor Dreyfus in his famous red vest. We rode our bikes to Devil's Lake quite a few times, and I remember getting to the start of the horrible, long uphill portion on Hwy 12, she taught me to push harder and actually gain speed on the uphills. Our Dad and I also watched her cross the finish line when she ran marathons, he was so very proud as he paced along from the sidelines and handed her water. We worked together for awhile after college and shared an office - it was a very conservative contract research company with Fortune 500 client drop-ins at any time. One day our friend was rollerblading around the halls (very naughty) and Barb hid him under her desk while our boss came in to chat, we laughed until we cried. I remember when she and Tim started their amazing family, little Emily was born right on her due date (the rest of the family couldn't believe it - we were in Vermont for Mary's wedding), and I was with Barb at Henry Vilas Zoo when we had to rush her to the hospital for Jeff. I remember her crying and watching little Jeff as a newborn when he needed an IV. And Frances! I knew their babysitter, Betty, who retired after the Theisen children because there would never be any family as special. I went with the family to Vail and Beaver Creek skiing when Emily was little - which started a love of the mountains for me. In Wisconsin, Friday nights at Devil's Head brought in the winters and saw them transition to spring. I visited Barb many times in Minneapolis when she worked for Cray Supercomputers, and then in Madison when she worked at the University. Barb shaped so many of my ideas on what it means to be successful, on how to balance work and children, on discovering new passions later in life (such as her love of fly fishing). I never realized, until I started thinking about my memories of her, how terribly much I'd miss my sister and how incredibly impactful she was in really key aspects of the lives of so many. Will always love you, sweet Barb.