Flags Flown At Half-Staff In Honor Of EMT From Stillwater

In honor of HealthEast emergency medical technician Marina Gayle DeSteno Challeen, Gov. Mark Dayton has ordered all United States and Minnesota flags to be flown at half-staff at all state and federal buildings in the Minnesota Wednesday. Challeen, 24, was raised in Stillwater and was a graduate of Stillwater Area High School and the University of Minnesota.

She died on Monday, Oct. 9, when the ambulance she was riding in collided with a semi-truck in Brooklyn Center.

"The State of Minnesota recognizes DeSteno Challeen for her dedicated service to, and sacrifice for, her fellow citizens of Minnesota, with its deepest gratitude," reads the proclamation from Dayton.

Nancy DeSteno, Challeen's niece, told KSTP she first learned about the fatal collision online. About three hours later, state troopers told Challeen's parents the awful news at their Stillwater home. "(Marina) was very much a people person who loved exploring and going to new places," she told the news station. Challeen hoped to enter medical school and one day work for Doctors Without Borders.

A memorial will be held Wednesday at 1 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Mahtomedi.

(For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Minnesota Patch, click here to find your local Minnesota Patch. Also, follow us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Minnesota flies its flags at half-staff following the death of Minnesota first responders killed in the line of duty on the day of interment. A copy of Dayton’s proclamation can be found here.

A GoFundMe page for Challeen's funeral expenses has already raised $5,677 of a $3,000 goal.

Image via GoFundMe