On November 14, Brigham Young University held their “For the Benefit of the World” conference. The conference brought together faculty from across the university to share their research that “addresses existing human needs or their root causes and scholarship related to humanitarian efforts.”

For BYU FNP students, their dedication to service is not just a career choice—it’s a calling with a question: Where can we help?

The following life sketches and photos were obtained from online obituaries. They are meant to highlight the nursing influence each person offered as college alumni. We intended to include every college alum who passed away since the last issue in Fall 2022. If we missed someone, please let us know at nursingpr@byu.edu.

Q: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BYU COLLEGE OF NURSING MEMORY?

Read BYU College of Nursing news updates for the 2025 school year.

In June 2023, I began my new role at BYU College of Nursing. One of the things that excited me most was the chance to share stories of the people and programs making a meaningful difference. Little did I know that just a few weeks into this new chapter, I’d receive a phone call that would humble and inspire me—and reaffirm my belief in the transformative power of giving.

1950s

Just two years into her undergraduate degree, BYU College of Nursing alum Julie Pessetto Littledike (BS '19) lost her mother, Leslie Ann Taylor Pessetto (BS '80), to breast cancer. While going through boxes of her mother's belongings, Julie stumbled upon a precious keepsake — her mother's nursing uniform from 36 years prior.

After eight years of teaching in BYU’s College of Nursing, Sheri Tesseyman, PhD, RN retired in 2025.

After 25 years of teaching in BYU’s College of Nursing, Dr. Kent Blad (MS ’99) retired in June of 2024.