It’s hard to believe it’s already been a year since you passed, but here we are, with time continuing to march on each day.

I’ve learned a lot through the experience of losing you, my brother. It’s so easy to get caught up in day to day life, but each time I think of you, it’s a reminder to be grateful for those I have around me. Everything can change in an instant.

Earlier this month we buried you with our family in Italy. Symbolically, along with today’s anniversary, it’s a moment of moving forward for us.

We’ll never forget you. We’re so proud of everything you accomplished and fought for in life.

We know you’re at peace now, and that helps me sleep better at night.

Love you and miss you.

Oh my sweet brother in law, I wish I could have understood your pain, but I’m happy to know you have finally found peace.

I thought we would have so much more time together and on the outside it appeared you had so much life left to live, but that’s the thing funny thing about life, the only guarantee is that there are no guarantees.

I know you knew what you were choosing to leave behind and as much as we all wish we could have done something to change your mind, it was never our decision to make.

In your almost 27 years here, you lived such a rich and meaningful life and it was such an honor to have known you.

Dear Tino,

One of my favorite memories of us is when we adopted Basil. We had just moved into our new apartment, and all of our furniture and knicknacks were finally in place. The only thing missing was a little dog for us to take on adventures and to share our cuddles.

On a clear Saturday morning, we drove to the animal shelter, as we had done many times before–only this time, we weren’t merely looking. We walked past many many excited dogs, but it was a little white pup in the corner, as ferocious as the big dogs around him, that caught our eye.

So we sat down beside him until all the big dogs quieted down, and we pet that little dog through the bars of his kennel. He leaned his back into our hands, no longer antsy, but now calm.

The three of us sat together like that for nearly an hour, until it was our turn to see the adoption counselor. The counselor showed us pictures of other available dogs, but we knew that the little guy in the corner was the one.

So we met the pup in the play yard, where the counselor showed us that if we patted our knees, he would run up and place his paws on them. We patted our knees and he did just that. The counselor told us that we would be his “sun, moon, and stars” if we adopted him. It was settled: we were taking that dog home with us that day.

We renamed him Basil for his two big, leaflike ears. After finalizing the paperwork, we stopped by the pet store to pick up everything we needed, and then, all three of us were back at the apartment. Basil had finally found his forever family.

Tino, you loved Basil like you’d love your own son. You walked him four times a day, played fetch with him, and cuddled with him in bed. Sometimes, I think you loved that dog more than you loved me. Basil transformed from the skittish pup at the shelter to our playful and confident (perhaps overly so) dog. Basil, with his funny pinched face, was our “little alien sent to earth to learn about humanity.”

Whenever I look at Basil, so tender, precious, and stinky, the embodiment of all those silly little nicknames we called him, I think of how lucky we are to have met you, that for so long that we got to love and be loved by you.

Love,

Cynthia and Basil ^･ﻌ･^

Dear Tino,

On your way back from your road trip to Northern California in September 2022, you stopped by our house, and we had a delightful dinner together. Tino seemed to like the roasted ribs I prepared, so I kept offering him more.

To flatter my culinary skills, he graciously ate them all, despite being quite full. The evening was truly unforgettable. We chatted about everything, from our respective trips to our life and future plans.

Tino was a very good talker. He was knowledgeable about almost everything we discussed. While I did not fully understand his research, the meeting was nevertheless enjoyable.

As we bid farewell, we invited him to visit us again. The thought that we can’t have him back breaks our hearts.

With love,

Ying and Bin

Ciao caro Tino,

è quasi un anno che ci manchi.

E’ stato ed è ancora difficile accettare la tua perdita.

Per la distanza e per gli accadimenti della vita non ci è stato possibile instaurare un rapporto profondo e

continuo: ti abbiamo visto crescere anno dopo anno e raggiungere i tuoi traguardi grazie alle foto ed ai

video che i tuoi genitori con Alessandro ci hanno sempre inviato.

Da qualche mese ti ha raggiunto anche nonna Ofelia: da lassù state a noi vicino e guidateci.

Grazie Tino per esserci stato, ora sei la nostra stella nell’universo.

Con amore

Zio Lorenzo due

Caro Tiziano,

purtroppo per la lontananza ci siamo visti poco, sappi che ti abbiamo visto crescere grazie alle foto che ci ha sempre mandato la tua mamma e conosciuto tramite il tuo papà che ci ha sempre parlato orgogliosamente di te, dei tuoi interessi e dei tuoi studi.

Nell’estate del 2022, in famiglia eravamo felicemente in attesa di poterti rivedere ma la tua vacanza è saltata.

Pensavamo che la gioia di rivederti fosse solo rimandata…

Siamo sempre stati orgogliosi e felici dei tuoi risultati scolastici e del tuo ingresso nel mondo scientifico, che già prometteva traguardi eccellenti.

Abbiamo impresso nel nostro cuore il ragazzo cordiale e gentile che abbiamo conosciuto e ti ricordiamo sempre nelle nostre preghiere.

Zii Peppino e Nuccia

Caro Tiziano,

è già trascorso un mese da quando hai lasciato questa vita per elevarti al cielo. Tante cose ci tenevano lontani, la distanza fisica, la lingua, le occupazioni di ciascuno. Ma sapevamo che, al di là e al di qua di terre e mari, un filo indissolubilmente ci univa.

Sei stato bravo negli studi e nei tuoi impegni di vita e lavoro e, saperlo, ci ha reso orgogliosi. Perdonaci se non abbiamo fatto sentire la nostra presenza e il nostro affetto con maggiore frequenza ed intensità.

Voglio ricordare il tuo volto dagli occhi puri e dal sorriso accogliente, la tua presenza delicata e sensibile, la tua chiara intelligenza.

Sempre nel mio cuore, sempre nei nostri cuori.

zia Anna

Carissimo nipote Tiziano, sentiamo tutti qui in Italia la tua mancanza ma ci aiuta il vivo ricordo del tuo sorriso, della tua sensibilità e della grande disponibilità che hai sempre dimostrato alle persone a te vicine. La tua curiosità e attitudine nelle scienze assieme alla tua passione per la montagna (rivedo le tue foto sereno e felice con Cynthia) sono stati per me motivo di grande orgoglio ma, soprattutto, della consapevolezza di condividere con te aspetti importanti delle nostre vite. Anche per questo ti voglio ricordare, sorridente, nel mentre assieme saliamo una cima ascoltando questo canto che ci accomuna.

zio Lorenzo

Hi Tino,

Today, September 7, 2024, we said our last goodbye to you here in Italy.

In person, due to the distance, we didn't know each other very well, but all your successes in your private and academic life always arrived here in Vicenza through photos and messages from Aunt Ester, whom I thank for sharing with us.

When, every now and then, the topic of my cousins ​​in America came up among friends, I remember I always told them how good you were at solving the Rubik's cube, not just the classic 3x3 but also the much more complex ones, a true genius.

Here, today, the words of your father during the ceremony, your brother's eyes, all the magnificent memories left on your site by the people close to you, even though I didn't know you that well, made me understand what a great person you were.

You will always be "My cousin from America" ​​and I will always have space for you in my memory and in my heart.

With love, Giovanni

My favourite memory of Tino

I got to know you when Zio Salvatore and I came to visit you and your family, you were 8 years old.

My first impression of you was of your gorgeous big eyes and your kindness.

We spent a few days with you and you were constantly at my side.

On our last day whilst packing our suitcases, you knocked on the bedroom door and asked what I was doing.

When I mentioned we were leaving the following day you came and gave me the biggest hug.

It was so unexpected and you asked if I could stay longer.

It was the best embrace and will stay with me forever.

Now you are in heaven, when you see Zio Salvatore please give him the same big hug you gave me.

Ti voglio bene tanto tanto

Zia Nucci

I remember when we were at Stoneybrooke making planet drawings for each other in our lined notebooks (which were supposed to be for schoolwork and nothing else). I think I ended up needing to get a new one because of all the pages I tore out to give you with pencil drawings of Saturn and Uranus (with its nearly-invisible rings faintly drawn in for accuracy). I remember making "ice chips" at your house by freezing *just* the top later of water in those paper cups and joking about how they were such a great 0 calorie snack. I never could've imagined that you'd be gone in just your mid twenties. You always talked about the different scientific careers you dreamed of having and I believed whole-heartedly that you'd find success in whichever one you decided on. I was so excited to call you "Dr. Bassi" once you got your PhD and wanted to hear about all the different research projects you'd be undertaking; I really believed in your idea for creating a new type of cancer treatment. I'm glad you and my mom got to see each other once more before you both passed on. I hope that by God's grace you two are together in heaven right now reminiscing about our playdates as kids. I finished the song I was working on that I showed you the last time we saw each other. You were even able to translate the name of the song I was sampling since it was in Italian. I named it in your honor. I hope that there'll come a day when we see each other again. It's only been 9 months since you left us but there's already so much I wish I could tell you about, I can only imagine how much I'll have to tell you about whenever my time eventuality comes. I hope you'll have a new Mr. Anthony drawing for me when I see you again.

Your best friend from the very beginning to the very end,

Austin Poznoski

Our family was so blessed to have many wonderful memories of the Bassis with so many fun times at the St. Pierre's pool. We've known the boys since they were little and loved getting together with them; Mario and Ester have always been amazing parents and friends and we love this family. Tino was always sweet, sometimes quiet, (unless the kids were all in the pool!), very kind, and just a joy to be around. Our three girls, along with Tino, Sandro, and Christian, had a blast at those parties and grew up together going down the slide, diving off the board, playing games, and making s'mores around the firepit. The Bassi family is a very special part of that magical time and Tino will always be part of that magic for us.

Dear Tino,

I think about you all the time. Even when you were here, I used to think about you. I would always tell my wife stories about how much of a goofball you were and how she needed to meet you because you were so funny. I could go on about how smart you were too, but this post would be incredibly long. I saw your name called for your PhD graduation. Congrats, man. I’m so proud of you, and I wish we could celebrate together, but Yngwie and I will have to do that in your honor.

When I first heard you were gone, I couldn’t believe it. Even now, I still don’t. I remember just yesterday when we were singing in choir together with DLC, and you would always make up some silly line to add to the song. DLC would get so upset, and we would just be laughing together. You’re my bass brother, and I miss you dearly.

Tino,

Oh Sweet boy, you were such a bright light in our daughters life when you both were little. I smile when I think about the FUN memories you and Claire shared together. Oh the adventures you would create when you had a play date. You both met when Claire was 1 year old and you were 2.

So many childhood stories to share growing up during innocent times.

The great outdoors was your playground ! Full of imagination curiosity and creative fun!

Summertime your mom and I would take you both to the beach on Friday afternoons and we’d all go bogey boarding together. Claire would come to your house and swim in the pool, or you both would go trail exploring around your neighborhood. There were days of bike riding, skateboarding or making forts in the trees at our house, can’t forget the OC fair and going on the rides, or wild river summer passes.

Never a dull moment when you two got together to play, let the action begin!

I so loved the times in your early childhood when you and Claire would go trick or treating on Halloween night. Your mom would always make you the coolest costume.My favorite was when you were Dracula and Claire was Dorthy of the Wizard of Oz.

I still have fond memories of the day when you and Claire (age 10 or 11 ) both decided that the tree house needed to be painted. You both wanted to turn it into a club house for friends such as Isiah and Sara to come over. You both had such a blast turning the four interior walls into 4 crazy colors - yellow- white - red & turquoise ! Needless to say it was that day you both decided you would start a paint company called C/T Co.

To seal the deal, you both painted those letters on the wood plank which have remained there till this year. After 30 years the tree house had termites and needed to get rebuilt.

The good news we saved that portion of wood plank to remember the fun creative times you both had together. Your mom has the picture of the wooden plank and knows the story as well, now others will read about your and Claire adventures ! Your adventures continued at birthday parties too! Claire was usually the only girl at your parties but you never minded and neither did she! You were buddies:)

Christmas times at the St. Pierre’s, as we sat down to dinner you both had a table set for two as you two toasted to each other and we all toasted together as families and friends united in Christmas love and good times together.

As we prepare to build back the tree house this month, we will always remember YOU and the adventurous good times that you shared with Claire. Always a thoughtful kind and loving child; with the innocence of a lamb. Caring, sharing, bright, curious and oh so smart!

The angels in heaven are dancing that you too will share your painting talents; painting the heavens with the same bright colors of love ! Tino …you will forever be in our ❤️

We met Tino when he was in his mother's womb as we met the Bassi's that day in 1996 on a walk in the neighborhood. From that day forward we established a special bond with the Bassi family and came to know them as familia. Soooooo many sweet memories of Tino from his adorable big blue eyes to the angelic presence that always surrounded him. Even as a young boy Tino had a special aura about him as if he knew more about this adult world than we did. And as he grew up we were always astounded at his talents - almost supernatural the way he could play piano so well at such a young age, and sing with the confidence of a seasoned professional, and let's not forget his smarts....who gets a "5" AP score in Chemistry? Tino Bassi that's who.

Speaking of "Who".....one of my favorite memories was going to see Tino in the production of Seussical the Musical at Stoneybrooke Christian School when he was in 7th grade. He was the lead as he played "Horton the Elephant" of "Horton Hears a Who" fame. HIs voice was just starting to change and the role was challenging but that angelic voice soared above the others and he rocked the part. From that time on he was destined to sing in choir, etc. as he navigated through High School.

We spent many a Christmas with the Bassi family and have so many fond memories through the years where Tino would play piano and we would play games, eat too much and share white elephant gifts. The best Christmas memory is 2017 when Tino took footage of our California Christmas in the backyard and shared it with us as a Christmas present - music and all in the background. What a memory we will always treasure!

Tino, save a place for us at your Christmas table in heaven. We will celebrate again as familia and when that happens, the drone angle will be us looking down vs. up. Rest in peace bel ragazzo. We love you.

Tino, I know you can see these messages and although I did not know you well I can see from the love that you left that you are special in every way. Beautiful, smart and loving and everything parents dream for their children. I lost my brother prematurely so me and Sandro are missing a piece of life that you gave to us and that we will never forget, but always remember as the best days of our lives. For mamma and papa there is never a day that passes where you are not front and center in their thoughts and memories. Please be in their dreams and reassure them you are happy and are always here, nearby and a part of their world.

I guess you can say I knew Tino before he was born. I remember Ester pregnant, assuring me that I would soon have a baby, as well. My son James was born 8 months after Tino' s birthday. And they became buddies.

Tino always curious with a "Cool Hand Luke" sort of smile would observe the world around him, quietly watching and always respectful, quick chuckle with good- natured care.

I remember when he built a mini weather station in his front yard and I would pass by on the way to walk the hills. Sometimes, Tino would be there and we would talk about the cloud cover, the stratosphere and solar flares and such. When he became interested in astronomy, I told him that my eldest son, Daniel, had built a 6 ft telescope in our backyard. Tino dropped everything. That night. Daniel and Tino looked at the heavens together. They shared in astronomy speak and even with a bachelor's degree in science, I was lost in the stars, listening to them.

Tino had such a brilliantly busy mind and was able to hyper-focus to do great things... and other things, too. Can't you imagine Tino in heaven- perhaps wearing a lab coat - taking us on a grand tour, excited to share with us the splendor of it all - in detail. 💕

Caro Tino, non ci siamo mai incontrati ma ho avuto modo di conoscerti attraverso tuo papà; proprio a Settembre, durante il suo viaggio in Italia con tuo fratello Sandro, ci siamo parlati, mi ha telefonato mentre erano in viaggio verso Vicenza, a trovare la nonna e, oltre a raccontarmi di Sandro, sua moglie ed i meravigliosi gemellini, mi ha detto, colmo di orgoglio e felicità dei tuoi studi e della stupenda compagna che avevi incontrato e con la quale stavi costruendo la tua vita. Ecco porterò per sempre nel cuore le sue parole....daniela

What a pleasure it has been, even in the sadness of his passing, to look at all the photos and videos of treasured moments of Tino’s Life. We loved seeing the video of Tino’s “distanced” graduation from UCI. We remember the “lemons to lemonade” hilarity of the situation, and the good-humored grace with which Tino accepted his neighbors’ congratulations.

We have lived across the street from Tino’s family for all his life, watching from afar as Tino and Sandro grew up. Tino always seemed to be a kind and gentle soul with great talent and curiosity. When his parents talked about him it was always with great pride and wonder. When we think of him, we think he was a beauty in the world, who left some of that beauty shimmering in the hearts of his family and friends.

Tino was such a kind, loving person. I have such fond memories of the few years we spent together in high school choir, and I was so heartbroken to hear of his passing.

I wanted to share a few pictures I have from the three years we were in high school choir together. During that time, we had a big change in the department. Between Spring and Fall 2014, Tino and I both returned to SJHHS without many of our close choir friends who had just graduated.

I remember that change was really overwhelming to me, but I felt a lot of comfort in knowing that we were in it together. He was a role model to many, both as a musician and as a friend. I feel so fortunate to have known him.

We have known Tino and the Bassi family for about 34 years as we live in the same SJC neighborhood. Over the years, our friendship has deepened with Mario and Ester through our monthly neighborhood First Friday dinner group. All of us shared our joys and challenges raising our children through the years.

My fondest and strongest memory of Tino is his annual Christmas delivery of the Bassi family gift to our family. Like clockwork, he’d come a few days before Christmas bearing a gift for our family. His kind and gentle spirit never changed, and we always shared a few minutes catching up with him. His sparkling eyes and grin from ear to ear will never be forgotten.

Rest in peace dear Tino.

I first met Tino when I was his student in Chem 6AH, fall quarter 2020. It was both of our first quarters at UCSD, but he was my TA and I was an undergraduate student. It was recommended to me to take Chem 6AH despite already having the credits for it, and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

The whole class was online, but I was eager to try to connect with my peers, professors, and TA's. Eventually I went to his zoom office hours, and I asked a few questions, and of course he answers thoroughly, he obviously knew his chemistry well. I then asked him about graduate school, and he told me all about the new stuff he was working on and learning about. I definitely had no plans of graduate school or even knew what that meant, but I slowly learned from him over time.

I learned a lot from him that quarter. I got to learn a lot about him too, his experiences, music, joking around, food, gaming, and plenty of other things. I felt we were very similar. His birthday came up in November and my peers and I all wrote him a virtual card for happy wishes. After the quarter, I invited to our class discord server, and he eventually won the TA excellence award for teaching our class.

Over the next 3 years, I got to know him very well, and I considered him one of my best friends. I learned we had the same love for metal and extreme music. He eventually got me into Viking Metal, especially one of his favorite bands - Amon Amarth (see the attached picture). They were on tour and were coming to San Diego on December 16th, 2022.

We were so excited, we got our tickets, shirts, ear protection. It was one of my favorite days ever, and I am so glad I got to spend it with Tino. Before the show we both had 2 In-n-Out burgers and fries (we would eventually learn that this was a mistake). We got there 4 hours early, so we didn't miss a chance to stand right up in front. The opener for the show was another one of our favorite bands, Cattle Decapitation, they even played an unreleased song "We Eat Our Young"! During the next set we needed to drink some water and go to the restroom after shouting our lungs out. When we came back during Obituary and Carcass sets, we ran around in the mosh pit, and it was a lot of fun. We were really tired by the time Amon Amarth played, but a big smile never left Tino's face.

I miss when I would occasionally run into him on campus, or the times I would visit him in Urey Hall. His influence on me shaped my life, give me motivation, and decide I want to pursue research and graduate school. I will always remember Tino as a strong mentor and great friend.

-Vicente

One of my favorite memories of Tino - I sent this text to Cynthia on December 10th…

“Fun memory while driving today.

One day in the office Tino randomly asked me if I knew who sung the song “don’t worry, be happy”

I said Bob Marley

He said NO!!! Contrary to popular belief it was Bobby McFerrin who sang the song but everyone always thinks it’s bob marley.

So of course I have to pull out my phone to check if he was right (he was of course). So then I play the song and we sang the whole thing together - out loud for the whole floor to hear.

I haven’t heard that song since then, until now, driving home today sun shining bright feeling very peaceful when the song came on and I know Tino was right there with me. 💛💛💛”

Tino and I first started talking when we were sitting next to each other in Ms. Tatala’s class for AP Lit, drawing characters in our notebooks and goofing around behind the teacher’s back (I just recently tossed that notebook before moving across the country regrettably).

Tino always amazed me by how adventurous and lively he was about the curiosities of the world and our universe through science. The fact that we were performing oxidations in his garage with an open window (which he said was good enough as a fume hood) defined how no set of restrictions could stand in the way of his passion.

In fact, Tino and I would speak occasionally about the various subjects we both shared a deep knowledge of and it never surprised me that Tino always seemed more romantic about those subjects than I. Though nevertheless, he took considerable time to show that he cared about how I was doing randomly out of nowhere.

I'm Miheer and I was a friend of Tino's. We met in an online class during Winter 21 which was my first quarter of grad school and Tino's second. I wanted to reach out to you to convey my sincerest and deepest condolences. Tino was a gem of a human being - so kind, mature, grounded, thoughtful and disciplined. He looked like a tough person on the outside but was so easy to talk to. This gentle soul made so many people feel welcome and at ease.

I remember my first interaction with him was over text as I was trying to make new friends and he was the first friend I made from grad school. We went out to get ice cream (which was a 'splendid' idea in winter) and then went to Walmart. I thought I had royally blown my chance at making a new friend given how poorly I planned the evening but Tino being the level-headed person he was, was happy to be around. He spoke fondly of his family and how much he loved being with everyone.

We also taught ochem lab and were TA buddies. Working with Tino was a joy - you could tell from a mile away that this man had unnatural conviction to stand by his students and guide them through well. Such compassion is rare to see in TAs but Tino was a special exception. His students loved him and he was a master of his craft.

My thoughts are scattered at this time, but I will share a few from the perspective of Professor for [UCSD Chemistry]. Tino was simply the best teaching assistant one can imagine. Both the students and I felt this way. He was always prepared, eager to participate, kind, respectful–there is not enough room to say it all. It strikes me now–Tino and I never met in person because he was TA during the worst of COVID and class was always remote. And yet despite seeing him only through a computer screen, what an impression he made. I so much wish I had known his struggles, his imperfections, and not just the extraordinary teacher and scientist.

It was such a joy to hear so many of Tino’s loved ones speak to his innate curiosity and love for science and the natural world. His craving to always “know more” strengthened his community and put others at ease. He was always quick to ask a question of a presenter, to fill that awkward silence that comes after a talk, and opened the doors for others to let their curiosity out. I had the honor to both TA Tino, and then to see him take the material taught in class and grow it into a new research question we had discussed a possible collaboration for. Tino had pie in the sky ideas, always shooting big, imaginative, and complex. His scientific spirit, leadership, and innovation will be greatly missed.