Everyone who knew Angela Chasey found something remarkable about her. For some people, it was her radiant smile and the effortless good cheer she maintained while tackling even the most difficult assignments. For others, it was the dedication to serving others that seemed to animate everything she did throughout distinguished careers in the government and not- for-profit sectors.
In the five years she spent with Parkview Foundations as director of grants administration and of leadership giving, she inspired generosity and admiration in equal measure. Today, the foundation remembers the Ossian native with the Angela Chasey Memorial Fund, established to assist others as they wage their personal battles with cancer, the disease that took Angie from us.
“When Angie began her treatments, she went from the staff side of Parkview to the patient side,” Ryan Chasey said of his wife of nearly 15 years, who succumbed to a rare form of ovarian cancer in August 2020. “She saw benefits of the work she had led at the foundation, and we were really moved by the number of patients and their families who were giving back in gratitude for their care.
Angie and I asked ourselves, ‘How are we giving back? How can we help the patients and families who will be coming after us?’ This fund is a way to fulfill our desire to do that.”
The Angela Chasey Memorial Fund was established to share her passion of cancer research, life-long learning and assistance to others. It will help patients interested in taking what is described as “integrative” approaches to their cancer care. Working with the caregivers at Parkview Cancer Institute, it will help fund cancer research and technological advancements, while providing patients and their families with a support framework that includes education opportunities, dietary advice, stress management techniques, and strength and mobility exercises.
“Few people recognize all they can do to improve their chances for a healthier life, but when they receive a cancer diagnosis, this should become part of their mindset,” Ryan explained. “Angie was determined to become as strong as possible for the fight. The approach she took, from the outset, was that she needed to do everything in her power not only to withstand the effects of the treatments, but to complement those treatments with what she could do for herself. She understood that you need to change so many things in your life to meet a challenge like this. She was looking for avenues that would both help her as a patient and at the same time be things that the doctors can embrace.”
Ryan credits Angie’s strength facing her cancer diagnosis for helping many of those around her improve their own health through integrative support. “Her family and friends became healthier, lost weight, and, in some cases, even received early diagnoses of serious health challenges so they were able to be proactive,” he said. “It is this positive impact on others that the Angela Chasey Memorial Fund will continue in her name, as the fund supports patients and their families, cancer research, and education with an emphasis on holistic or integrative approaches.
The fund is a way to fulfill Angie’s desire to give back to others,” Ryan added. “This effort is healing for me, emotionally -- it honors what she stood for. Through programs supported by this fund, Angie’s spirit of generosity, service, and friendship will live on.”
Learn more about the Angela Chasey Memorial Fund and how you can contribute here.
