Marie Christine (Loustau) Zaleski

Marie Christine “Tina” Loustau May Zaleski, born January 6, 1959 in Wheeling, West Virginia, passed away November 8, 2025, with peace and intention.

Tina spent her childhood in Wheeling and attended Wheeling Country Day School for ten wonderful years before attending the first year of Wheeling Park High School and later Beloit College. Her education also included international programs in Europe, including The Experiment in International Living and other study-abroad terms that informed her global perspective.

Over the years, Tina lived in Wisconsin, New York, Florida, and for many years on the island of Antigua. She was the daughter of Honey (Louise Twaddel Pope Loustau) and Jean Philippe Loustau, and the sister of Jenny Loustau, Cherry Fenczik, Henry Loustau, and Carry Byrum.

Tina began her career as a news anchor for Channel 2 TV in Wisconsin before returning to West Virginia and starting a family. She married Jamie May, and later Dr. Robert Zaleski, for whom she held lifelong respect and affection. She was the devoted mother of two sons, John Phillip May and Robert John Zaleski II, who were “the absolute joy” of her life.

Service gave Tina’s life meaning. For nearly a decade, she volunteered in the West Virginia prison system, helping long-term incarcerated artists create and sell their artwork through her gallery, Mail Gallery Plus, and online. In exchange, the artists had to stay sober. She also brought AA meetings to women in the local jail and supported countless women through sponsorship in the U.S. and abroad. Tina remained a steady, compassionate member of AA for 40 years. This service work gave back to her tenfold. She believed it didn’t matter who got credit for it, so long as the work got done.

During her years living in Antigua, Tina became a tropical farmer and particularly good fisherman, setting out alone most mornings and enjoying her catches at dinner with her dog, Bardo.

Though she did not claim a specific religion, Tina spent the last two decades practicing Buddhist principles and considered herself a humanist. She believed deeply in honesty, service, and the enduring power of human connection. 

Tina requested to be cremated, with her ashes placed near her ancestors’ graveyard in West Philadelphia. She asked for no formal funeral, only that those who knew her remember her through authentic connection and truth. She believed she needed to offer that to the world. She leaves behind a lifetime of meaningful relationships and a legacy rooted in compassion, humor, service, and resilience.

She felt immense gratitude for the mentors who helped her die with grace.

Arrangements by Foulk Funeral Home of West Grove, PA.