About Belle

ISABEL (BELLE) COMIS DEGENAARS was born in Old Bethpage, New York and lives in New Jersey with her husband and two children. She holds a Bachelor of Science in nursing and a master’s degree in public administration from New York University. Belle is the designated scholar and story collector of her family.  She has spent years gathering stories of her father’s family, the Comis and Doriguzzi histories, in an endeavor to preserve these memories for future generations.  She pursued a similar project for her mother’s family: the Knapps, Giebels, and Cullens. With the blessing of Anna Comis, Belle undertook the American version of Casada as a gift to her father.