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SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — After they said a CBS News Bay Area story helped reconnect them, Stefanie Gollmer thanked the two charter fishermen who rescued her from the deadly Volare sinking, calling the emotional reunion a step toward healing after losing her mother.
Stefanie Gollmer had only one name she could remember: Jeff.
Two weeks after surviving the boating disaster near Alcatraz, Gollmer returned to the Marina to thank the two fishermen who pulled her from the frigid waters of San Francisco Bay — a reunion made possible after an earlier interview with her prompted the rescuers’ boss to reach out.
“You must be Jeff,” Gollmer said as she embraced Jeff Dejung.
“I am Jeff,” he replied before introducing her to his colleague, Aaron Anfinson.
The emotional reunion marked the first time the three had seen each other since the July 14 boating tragedy that claimed multiple lives, including those of Gollmer’s mother, uncle, and aunt.
Gollmer was among 20 people aboard the Volare during a memorial service when the vessel capsized and sank.
Authorities confirmed Monday that a body recovered near the Golden Gate Bridge over the weekend was Gollmer’s 74-year-old mother, Carol Boisa. Gollmer’s aunt, Jackie Boisa, remains missing.
“I can’t thank you guys enough,” Gollmer told the fishermen. “I’m trying to stay focused on the positive. And you guys are a part of it, and I really appreciate it.”
The last time they met, the circumstances were far different.
Anfinson and Dejung were leading a group of about 30 people on a fishing charter aboard their Bass-Tub fishing vessel when they spotted the emergency unfolding. They rushed toward the capsized boat, where survivors struggled in the cold water among floating debris.
“Rugs, couch cushions, trying to drive around stuff and trying to see what’s a person and what’s not,” Anfinson recalled.
Gollmer had hit her head on the sinking vessel and was desperately searching for her mother.
“The whole time I was in the water I just knew my mom didn’t make it out because I watched everybody come out one by one and I just knew,” she said. “I was just wailing for my mom.”
Dejung pulled Gollmer aboard and immediately began treating her for possible hypothermia.
He said it’s part of training he received; training that includes “[getting] their wet clothes off… [getting] them blankets… [getting] them with the heater,” he said, describing the rescue procedures he relied on.
Gollmer recalled asking for a hug from another boat passenger, and them providing. She said that was the first moment she felt any sense of calmness during the situation.
“That was the moment I felt like, okay, it’s going to be okay,” said Gollmer.
Dejung praised Gollmer’s resilience.
“You’re strong, incredibly strong. If I were in your shoes, I don’t think I’d be out here right now,” he told her.
Gollmer said the reunion represents an important step in her healing.
“This is a healing moment, and I don’t want to sit in the trauma,” she said.
She also said she still struggles to understand why she survived when her mother did not.
“I have some sort of guardian angel over me. I really do believe I was just lifted out of there,” she said. “I dove through that window and into the water and everybody else was trapped in that cabin, I really cannot understand. There’s entities amongst us.”
As a thank you, Gollmer insisted on buying the two men lunch. The meal, she said, is only a small gesture.
Dejung and Anfinson, who operate Bass-Tub Fishing and offer sport fishing trips, San Francisco Bay cruises and private charters, said they simply did what anyone would hope a fellow boater would do.
For Gollmer, their actions became a lifeline on the worst day of her life — and a lasting reminder of the compassion that can come from complete strangers.
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