THORPE FAMILY REUNION - ONCE REMOVED

When Emmy winner Michael Zaslow, who'd brought Guiding Light's multi-faceted uber-villain Roger Thorpe to life for many years, passed away on December 6, 1998 at the age of 56 due to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, he left behind a wife, psychologist/writer Susan Hufford, and two daughters, Marika and Helena.

In 2004, 19 year old Helena passed away due to a drug overdose triggered by depression, and in 2006, Susan Hufford succumbed to cancer.

This left Marika Hufford-Zaslow, then in her early 20s tragically on her own.

In a happy update, the NYU Graduate School of Social Work student is currently an intern at Dorot, a Jewish not-for-profit, multi-service agency that extends a lifeline of support to the homebound elderly, and, on May 24, 2008, she wed Saxton Pope, whom she met when they were both RAs at Sarah Lawrence. The wedding, as planned by Marika and Saxton, was completely green.



One of the readers at their wedding was Sherry Stringfield, who played Roger's daughter, Blake, on Guiding Light from 1989 to 1992. Sherry's daughter, Pheobe, who is Marika's goddaughter, was the flower girl, and Sherry's son, Milo, was a ring-bearer.



Family friend Blythe Danner also read.



In 2005, Susan Hufford published Not That Man Anymore, a book Michael had started before his death. Marika continues to make it available in both print and e-versions through iUniverse.