Welcome

Hello friends and family, and welcome to the virtual Celebration of Life for Tiziano (Tino) Bassi, PhD. On this website you will find photos, videos, and stories of our beloved Tino. You can begin by reading his biography below, or by viewing the following pages:



Biography

Born on November 25th, 1996, Tino immediately completed our family. Over the course of his life Tino was many things to the people around him, including a beloved son, a close brother, a loving boyfriend, an uncle, a cat and a dog dad, a faithful friend, and of course, a diligent lab mate.

From the very beginning Tino displayed a deep passion for learning about the natural world and he shared his enthusiasm with everyone he met. His kindness and sense of humor would brighten the darkest of days, and even though he was clearly very intelligent, he was also very humble and respectful to others.

Tino's achievements varied over the course of his life. As a child he regularly performed in piano recitals, and in high school he sang in the school choir. During his time at UCI, Tino conducted research experiments at the campus nuclear reactor. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry.

Following his undergraduate education, Tino joined the chemistry labs at UCSD to conduct research and pursue his PhD. It was at these labs where he successfully completed and published his first scientific paper in which he was listed as first author. Tino also met the love of his life Cynthia. The two of them shared an incredible bond during the last two years of his life.

Outside of his academic and research life, Tino never hesitated to lend a helping hand to those in need. Multiple times he was selected by students to receive an Excellence in Teaching award, as he taught with a deep passion and routinely went above and beyond to make sure his students would succeed.

Tino is survived by his parents Mario and Ester Bassi and his brother Alessandro Bassi. This website was created by the family to celebrate Tino's life and help remember the joy and love he brought into the world. His spirit will forever live on in our hearts, and his legacy will continue to inspire us.

About Tino

Heritage Italian American (First Generation)
Hometown San Juan Capistrano, CA, USA
High School San Juan Hills High School
University University of California, Irvine
Graduate School University of California, San Diego
Interests Science, Hiking, Nature, Fitness, Music, Family

Family

Parents Mario and Ester
Brother Alessandro
Nephews Nico and Luca
Girlfriend Cynthia
Grandparents Giovanni and Lina Bassi, Giorgio and Ofelia Roi
Cat Coco
Dog Basil

Life Milestones

1996 Birth
1997 First of several trips to Italy
2015 High school graduation
2020 UCI graduation
2020 Accepted into UCSD PhD program
2021 Met Cynthia
2023 Published first scientific paper
2023 Passed away
2024 Awarded PhD posthumously

What Happened

The family would like to provide information about Tino's death in an effort to help foster understanding and closure to those around him.

In his late teenage years, Tino began to develop a severe anxiety disorder. With the support of his family, Tino tried years of intensive therapy, multiple medications, and he studied the available scientific literature to try and find relief.

For a while things did improve, and Tino continued on to graduate from UCI and eventually join UCSD’s chemistry department. Here he excelled in the PhD program, published his first scientific paper, made many new friends, and met a wonderful girlfriend. To those around him it seemed that his life was in such a good place — and largely it was — but the disorder quietly continued to wear him down.

During his final years, in an effort to protect those around him, Tino kept much of his struggles to himself. However, he made it very clear in a note he left behind that none of his family, friends, professors, students, or lab mates should feel any guilt or blame for what happened.

The situation was simply outside of anyone’s control, and we need to accept that he is finally feeling the peace that he so longed for.

"I hope that someday we will have a better understanding – one that perhaps permits us to give grace to the one who took their life and see it as something that happened to them, rather than something they did to themselves and others."
— Anonymous
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