CurePSP Tribute Funds

A devoted husband, father, friend, educator, historian and lover of animals, Richard "Rick" Thomas Spain, III was truly one of a kind. With a Diet Coke in hand, he could almost always be found making people laugh by saying aloud what everyone else was thinking.

He earned his associate’s degree from Louisburg College and his Bachelor of Science and graduate degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Rick left a lasting impression on thousands of students throughout his 31-year career as a well-respected history teacher and department chair in Chesterfield County, Virginia. He truly cared about his students' well-being, which is most evident by the countless letters of gratitude he received over the years.

Rick was born and raised in the small town of Waverly, Virginia. He grew up building tree forts and exploring the woods around his family’s home. While earning his teaching degree at VCU, Rick met the love of his life, his wife of 42 years, Gloria Davis Spain. He would be the first to say that marrying Gloria was the best decision he ever made. From there they built a life in Midlothian, a southern suburb of Richmond. They joyfully welcomed their son, Richard “Rich” Thomas Spain, IV, and the rest is history. Anything that Rich was interested in became Rick’s interest; making memories as a family was all that mattered to Rick.

Rick was a fierce friend. He maintained relationships unlike anyone else and treated his friends like family. He loved a medium rare steak, baked potato and “telling it like it is.”

In the summer of 2016, as the best man at his son’s wedding, Rick and Gloria welcomed their daughter-in-law, Lauren, to the family. It was just a year and a half later, two months before their first grandchild was born, at 66, that Rick would lose his courageous battle with PSP. Now with two grandchildren here to carry on his legacy, we take comfort in knowing the difference his life has made and will continue to make by sharing his story here.

His kindhearted nature, ability to make anyone laugh and be happy while in his presence will never be forgotten. This tribute page is a reminder that if we all work together, we can have a positive influence on those affected by PSP, CBD and MSA. We know that this tribute fund will continue his impressive legacy and help other families affected by rare neurological diseases like PSP.

Sampa Basu, born on 8th of August 1961 was a loving mother, a beautiful wife and an adorable grandmother. She was raised in the city of Kolkata, India in a very tightly knit Bengali family. She had such an amazing soul, and possessed this incredible ability to find kindness and love in everyone.

She had such an amazing soul, and possessed this incredible ability to find kindness and love in everyone. She was admired by everyone who knew her closely. From my earliest childhood memories, I remember her as someone who always put the happiness and needs of her family before anything. Being the younger of her two children, I am probably guilty of getting the most amount of love from her. She loved listening to classical Bengali music, especially Rabindra Sangeet. She loved to dress and travel. Her favorite moments include our weekly trip to the movie theatre and dining at a restaurant. 

After spending most of her life in Kolkata, she moved to Delhi as my father started a new job there. She took care of the whole family, while me and my sister were finishing up our high school and undergrad studies respectively. In 2012, she and my father temporarily migrated to Jakarta, Indonesia. She made many friends, and enjoyed her time travelling and living in a foreign country. 

During her time in Indonesia in 2015, she began to show some neurological problems. After a few failed diagnoses, she was finally diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2016. But within a year, we realized that her symptoms were diverging from a regular Parkinson’s patient. Eventually, she was diagnosed with PSP-P in Delhi.The whole family gave their very best, especially my father to find some kind of a way out for her.

She showed amazing grit, and dedication to get better, and slow the progressive disease down. But finally, after a very brave fight, she gave in to a battle which couldn’t be won. Swallowing difficulty led to an aspiration problem in the lungs. She passed away very peacefully on the dawn of 31st of December 2020, with a hint of smile on her face. She was only 59 years young. Her demise was devastating for the entire family but we took solace from the fact that she had been relieved of her pain by God’s blessings, and her soul rests in peace in heavenly abode. 

Me and my sister are blessed to have an amazing family around us, who helped us see through these tough times. I am sure that our mother would like us to remember her as she was before she got sick. Therefore, our family is committed to celebrate her loving, caring and jolly energy alive. 

We really appreciate your kindness and support. We are especially grateful to organizations like CurePSP that are dedicated to provide assistance and fund clinical research to find a cure for these rare degenerative diseases. Your donation will help serve the community and take a small step towards a day when no loved one is lost because of PSP. 

She exited this world on March 2, 2006, five years to the day after her first grandchild was born. Consequently, this day will forever be remembered by her family as a bittersweet reminder of the essence of life and death itself.

Born on January 4, 1940, she was the daughter of an Air Force officer, Col. Leroy E. Loftis, who served in both WWII and the Korean War. Because of his service obligations, she had to become accustomed to moving around quite a bit as a young girl, growing up on military bases in exotic locales such as Guam. She continued to relocate, not by choice, after marrying and starting a family – from Denver, CO (where her 1st child David was born), to El Paso, TX (where her second son Richard was born), to Dallas, TX, Los Angeles, CA, back to El Paso, Richmond, VA, Pleasanton, CA and finally back to the Denver area for good. The constant moves explain why she grew to dread change later in life and cherished her daily routines, however mundane they appeared.

As a young, single, career-minded woman, there came a point in her life when she had a critical decision to make. She could have followed her heart and married her race car driver boyfriend, but instead she chose the presumably safer and more secure path of marrying a seminary student. Fast forward to the beginning of the 21st century, now divorced and living in Aurora, CO, on the outskirts of Denver, Sharron began experiencing unexpected and unexplained falls.

Originally diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, ultimately she was correctly diagnosed with PSP. Her family – her two sons and ex-husband — quickly became intimately familiar with the challenges of PSP. Thanks to the tireless efforts of individuals from Human Network Systems in Denver who helped organize and supervise her home health care, Sharron’s last wishes were honored and she was able to live out the last short years of her life in the comfort of her own home, without ever needing to be transferred to an assisted-living or full-care facility. Towards the end, Sharron had the benefit of round-the-clock live-in caregivers and ultimately hospice attendants to ease her passage. The care and grace that they exhibited cannot be overstated. 

Her living legacy are her sons, Dave and Rick Markell (and her two grandchildren).

Stephen (Steve) John Maassen was a beloved husband, father, brother, colleague and friend. Born on May 2, 1951, he was the second of five children and the only son of John and Harriet Maassen. A “Preacher’s kid” in the Dutch Reformed Church of America (RCA), he spent his childhood moving between parishes in Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa. While the peripatetic lifestyle wasn’t always easy, he cherished his childhood and his family and loved to tell stories of his legendary Wisconsin winter walks to school. After graduating from Lincoln High School in Des Moines, IA, he earned his B.A. from Central College in Pella, IA in 1973. While he nearly went on to become a high school history teacher, a strong LSAT score propelled him towards law school. He obtained a J.D. from Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, IN in 1977, where he was the managing editor of the Law Review.

After graduation, a clerkship brought him to downstate IL. While the first hot and humid summer didn’t make a great impression (almost melting in the Cardinals’ old Busch Stadium), he did accept an offer with a law firm in Alton, IL. He made Alton his home, and relished learning and recounting the history of the Mississippi river town north of St. Louis (home of Robert Wadlow, the world’s tallest man, birthplace of Miles Davis and site of the final, famous Lincoln-Douglas Debate). He traveled widely in the region for work and for pleasure, spending many summers at the Lake of the Ozarks with family and friends.

He spent over 40 years with his law firm (recently incorporated into Rynearson, Suess, Schnurbusch & Champion, LLC). He briefed and argued more than 100 cases before both State Supreme Courts and Federal Courts of Appeal, and was admitted to practice in IL, MO and IN. Steve was a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation (an honorary society limited to 1% of licensed attorneys) and the International Association of Defense Counsel, as well as numerous other Bar Associations in IL and MO. He also took on countless pro bono cases and was active in charitable causes, including serving as the President of Illinois Easter Seals.

Steve first caught sight of his future wife, Diana, at an office Christmas party in 1981. Yet it took until the next Christmas party in 1982 for him to get up the nerve to ask her on a date. 2024 marks 40 years of loving marriage. His daughter, Alison, was born in 1986 and his son, Jonathan, in 1991. Steve was devoted to his family and deeply engaged in his children’s lives. As they grew, he imparted practical wisdom that has aged like a fine wine. He also lived his principles, pushing himself and his kids to keep their commitments (like Saturday morning soccer games in the rain), making sacrifices for family, leaving space for autonomy and making mistakes, loving unconditionally and "never underestimating the value of being competent."

While deeply interested in the world (coming from a family with many missionaries), he did not get his first passport until his 60s. Instead, he literally gave his children the world, starting with three-week People to People student trips to Europe. As he memorably put it: “I’d love to go to Europe for three weeks – I’ve never been. But the reality is that I am a 50-year-old lawyer with two kids. If I go, I’ll still be a 50-year-old lawyer with two kids when I come back. If you go, however, it might actually change your life.” (Duly noted that Alison is now married to a European and lives in Europe. Could the trip have been the gamechanger, after all?)

He put both kids through college at George Washington University in Washington DC and drove them to and from campus in road trips full of philosophical conversations about life. He didn’t bat an eye when Alison decided to spend a whole year studying abroad in the Middle East, cheering on her adventures. He later drove to the opposite coast for Jonathan to attend the University of California in San Diego for his master's degree. In 2015, he walked Alison down the aisle as she married Roman García Rodríguez, a Spaniard she’d met in DC. He and Diana also purchased their dream retirement home on a golf course in Venice, FL.

In 2018, after a series of falls and fender benders, Steve was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Fortunately, the diagnosis did not stop him from finally traveling to Europe in the spring of that year to meet his new grandson, Paulo, and make his first and only visit to "the moederland" of the Netherlands. However, the illness progressed, faster than expected, and, in 2021, Steve’s diagnosis was updated to PSP. While he and his family mourned his lost autonomy (particularly his love of driving), he never once complained or asked, “why me?” Neither did Diana, for that matter, as she and Jonathan dedicated their time to managing his endless medical appointments and visits from various therapists, eventually becoming his courageous around-the-clock caregivers. Together, they found big and little victories in the face of PSP, like taking the whole family to the Magic Kingdom or simply enjoying a piña colada in the Florida sunshine. In 2023, Steve got to meet his new granddaughter, Kate. However, he also entered hospice as the illness progressed. On February 27, 2024, he passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.

As Steve would have said, "You never finish, you just run out of time." Yet in the time that Steve shared with us, he left indelible impressions on those around him and made profoundly positive contributions to the world. He will be fondly remembered by all who knew him for his boundless generosity, enthusiasm for learning, pragmatic philosophy and kindness of spirit.

Susan Palubinskas Weyn died peacefully in the arms of her family on March 14, 2024.

A woman of rich faith in Jesus Christ, she left this world confident that she would be with him for eternity. 

Passionate about infant care, Susan volunteered her time at the hospital NICU and traveled twice to China to serve orphaned disabled infants. She had a love for interior design and built beautiful homes in both Georgia and Montana and watched almost every home design show. She was an active tennis player, music lover, thrill seeker, word game enthusiast and enjoyed hosting friends and family for all kinds of celebrations. She lived life to the fullest and was always doing for others.

Susan suffered from a rare neurological degenerative disease. She was diagnosed in 2020 and faced this sickness with courage. As a final act of generosity, she has donated her body to further research to find a cure. Her legacy will live on as she loved her husband and two daughters fiercely, as they do her.

Suzanne Wasserman, born in Chicago, was a prominent New York-based historian who focused largely on the Lower East Side, working since 2000 at the Gotham Center for New York City History. Her work featured in a wide array of publications, exhibitions and educational programs.

On June 26, 2017, she passed away as a result of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), at the age of 60.

As the Gotham Center’s associate director and later its director, Suzanne oversaw teaching programs designed to bring the city’s history into school classrooms. She also organized the Gotham History Festival — a series of free panels, papers, films and exhibitions — a few weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks.

During her time there, she also built a second career as a filmmaker, producing and directing four documentaries.

“People occasionally drop by the Gotham Center office and expect to see a dozen people beavering away at cubicles and are invariably astounded to discover that this fountain of productivity was bubbling out of the desk of one woman,” said Mike Wallace, the Gotham Center’s founding director.

Born on May 26, 1957, to Edward Wasserman, a psychoanalyst, and the former Eileen Kronberg, a homemaker. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin and earned her Ph.D. from New York University. Prior to her tenure at the Gotham Center, she taught at N.Y.U., the New School for Social Research and Iona College.

In addition to her son, Raphael, Ms. Wasserman is survived by her husband, David Stern, and her sisters, Tina, Stephanie and Nadine Wasserman.

Thanh would be described by many as loud, strong-willed, fun-loving and beautiful. She was the second eldest of six children to Thuyen and Nhiem Nguyen. Thanh migrated to America with her family as refugees during the Vietnam War in 1975. She eventually settled in Orange County, CA where she built a life and a family of her own.

Thanh was a hard worker and always put her family first. She worked for decades as a Quality Assurance professional in Commercial, Aerospace and Defense segments. She even took second jobs to provide for her family and night classes to refine her English skills. Thanh was a devoted wife and dedicated mother always ensuring her family had everything they needed. Regardless of her responsibilities, Thanh always knew how to have a good time. You could often find her being the life of the party, joking around and laughing loudly. 

She loved her two dogs, Jasmine and Rocky. She also loved living near the beach and traveling to places like Hawaii, New York, and Malaysia when she had the chance. She was a great cook and enjoyed spending time with her extended family.

We started to see a shift in Thanh early on in the last decade. She was misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s then had Stage III Uterine Cancer and lifelong Lymphedema as a result. In her advanced stages she was misdiagnosed again with Multiple System Atrophy (MSA). It wasn’t until May 2020 when we got a third opinion that it was discovered she actually had the rare neurological disorder, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). It was hard to find accessible expertise on this disease but based on all the information we could gather through research, everything finally made sense.

Aside from the many, many health complications as a result of Thanh’s illnesses, her body gradually shut down over the years from mobility to speech and lastly even the ability to swallow. Everything went but her mind. She fought it to the very end though, as always. It’s that same stubborn nature that she was lovingly known for that got her so far. In spite of everything, Thanh took it upon herself to enjoy every last moment of life she could. 

When Thanh tested positive for COVID in November 2020, things took a rapid turn in the last few weeks. But even then, she was able to flash a small smile when something made her laugh. She hung on to her spirit until the very end. She peacefully surrendered her fight in December 2020 with her best friend and youngest sister, Chau, by her side. She was 65 years young.  

Thanh would’ve wanted to be remembered as she was before she got sick––the years she was beautiful and bright. So, our family is committing to only celebrate when she truly lived.

We are thankful for all the support we’ve had over the last 10 years from family, friends, caregivers, and legal/medical teams. We are especially thankful for organizations like Cure PSP that provide resources for rare diseases that currently have no cure. Our hope with this Tribute Fund is to contribute to a community that can help other families and honor Thanh’s life by one day saving another. 

Thanh would be described by many as loud, strong-willed, fun-loving, and beautiful. She was the second eldest of six children to Thuyen and Nhiem Nguyen. Thanh migrated to America with her family as refugees during the Vietnam War in 1975. She eventually settled in Orange County, CA, where she built a life and a family of her own.

Thanh was a hard worker and always put her family first. She worked for decades as a Quality Assurance professional in Commercial, Aerospace, and Defense segments. She even took second jobs to provide for her family and night classes to refine her English skills. Thanh was a devoted wife and dedicated mother, always ensuring her family had everything they needed. Regardless of her responsibilities, Thanh always knew how to have a good time. You could often find her being the life of the party, joking around and laughing loudly. 

She loved her two dogs, Jasmine and Rocky. She also loved living near the beach and traveling to places like Hawaii, New York, and Malaysia when she had the chance. She was a great cook and enjoyed spending time with her extended family.

We started to see a shift in Thanh early on in the last decade. She was misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s then had Stage III Uterine Cancer and lifelong Lymphedema as a result. In her advanced stages, she was misdiagnosed again with Multiple System Atrophy (MSA). It wasn’t until May 2020 that when we got a third opinion, it was discovered she had the rare neurological disorder, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). It was hard to find accessible expertise on this disease but based on all the information we could gather through research, everything finally made sense.

Aside from the many, many health complications resulting from Thanh’s illnesses, her body gradually shut down over the years from mobility to speech and, lastly, even the ability to swallow. Everything went, but her mind. She fought it to the very end, though, as always. It’s that same stubborn nature that she was lovingly known for that got her so far. Despite everything, Thanh took it upon herself to enjoy every last moment of life she could. 

When Thanh tested positive for COVID in November 2020, things took a rapid turn in the last few weeks. But even then, she was able to flash a small smile when something made her laugh. She hung on to her spirit until the very end. She peacefully surrendered her fight in December 2020 with her best friend and youngest sister, Chau, by her side. She was 65 years young.  

Thanh would’ve wanted to be remembered as she was before she got sick––the years she was beautiful and bright. So, our family is committing only to celebrate when she truly lived.

We are thankful for all the support we’ve had over the last ten years from family, friends, caregivers, and legal/medical teams. We are incredibly thankful for organizations like Cure PSP that provide resources for rare diseases that currently have no cure. Our hope with this Tribute Fund is to contribute to a community that can help other families and honors Thanh’s life by one day saving another. 

A Tribute to Zeina Allaf  Zeina Allaf will forever be remembered for her warmth, selfless generosity and dedication to her family. She passed away on the evening of Sunday August 27, 2023 at the age of 74 after six years of living with PSP.

Zeina was officially diagnosed with PSP in July 2020 after two years of battling a myriad of perplexing symptoms including anxiety, depression, difficulty moving, difficulty with language, and many falls. She was a true warrior and fought PSP as hard as she could.

Born and raised in a small village in the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon, Zeina moved to Kuwait when she was 20 years old after marrying Ezzedine Allaf, a Lebanese man living and working in Kuwait. They had four children together. Zeina’s children were the joy of her life and she dedicated herself to them, sacrificing herself in the process.

Even though Zeina and her husband had not planned to move to the United States, Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 and Lebanon’s continued instability led the family to move to the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where Zeina and the children stayed while Ezzedine traveled back and forth to Kuwait for work. Alone in a new country with limited English, Zeina needed to be both mother and father while she herself was adjusting. She taught herself English, sought employment to help the family stay afloat, and built a new life for her family. Zeina and Ezzedine’s hard work and sacrifice enabled their four children to earn undergraduate and graduate degrees and become successful professionals.

An energetic, active woman, Zeina was most well known for her outstanding cooking and baking. She was able to recreate a dish at home after tasting it only once! Her home was never without something delicious freshly made. She made sure that anyone who visited ate well and felt at home; one always left her house with a full stomach and a full heart.

Zeina was most excited to become a grandmother - a ‘Teta’ in Lebanese - and was delighted when her children, finally, married and had children of their own. Zeina gave endlessly to others and most especially to her children and grandchildren. Her endless love lives on through them. ‘Teta’ will forever live in their hearts.

Thank you for donating to Cure PSP in her memory. We hope more is learned about this disease so others do not have to suffer as she did. May she rest in peace.