Mrs. Carol Marie Cignetti Gaskill, 83, of Webb City, Missouri, departed this life on Thursday, May 21, 2020, in the comfort of her home.
If you’re an over the road trucker or if you are wearing polyester, you should probably stop reading now. My mom and first husband, Bob Hemphill, split when I was very young. I had two older sisters, Lisa and Jenny.
When mom remarried in 1974 to Jim Gaskill, we moved out by the auto auction where I gained an appreciation for cars. Together they raised me, and did a pretty good job. I mean, I survived.
When Jim passed away in 2013, it left Mom with a lot of managerial things to do. With some help from a few family members, she would be able to take care of the business that her and Jim began years earlier.
My mom gave to several charities. She loved helping others. She was on a mission to save the world. She made a pretty good dent on a lot of fronts. As she was doing this, she was also trying to rid the world of 18 wheelers and polyester clothing. If you know my mom at all, you know she was a fighter. She had the easy part down though.
She could chastise a trucker for taking up both lanes or for the diesel rig making too much noise or smoke. She could also argue why someone would waste their hard earned money on something other than cotton clothing. But that was just mom. She liked a fight. Not a fistfight, per se, but an intellectual battle. And trust me, if she wasn’t winning, she would soon be changing the argument to fit her outcome.
But all joking aside, she was smart. She had the experience, and along with Jim, they made a pretty good living in 43 years together. I was their smartest son. I listened and learned. However, I didn’t let them know I was listening or learning. I played dumb for many years. Some would argue that I am STILL playing dumb. Only recently did I tell mom how smart I really was (you can substitute smart for lucky and it still works). I have a great wife and four awesome sons. All of them wear cotton and none of them are truck drivers. No offense to the men and women delivering so many goods and services all across our country. That was just mom. She worried that the trucks would ruin our roadways.
I’m lucky to have had the opportunity to grow up with a mother who inspired me. She loved opera, The BeeGees and Neil Diamond. She loved the arts. She was always reciting lines from her favorite poets.
Her inspiration is deeper than all of that though. She has many phrases and quotes that have served me well over the years. She taught me to be humble. She taught me virtues. She practiced what she preached, and always made me act appropriately. I am in control of my life because she showed me how to live the right way. I am forever in her debt for making me the person I am today.
She’s with Jim and my sisters now. Her brothers are there also, to help keep her in line. Along with grandpa Cig and grandma Alice. And, one of these days I will join her and be able to enjoy her music, art and her beautiful spirit again. I love and miss you, mom.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Jim Gaskill, on September 29, 2013; three children, Christopher, Lisa and Jenifer; and three brothers, Ron, Al and Robert.
Carol is survived by her son, Jason Gaskill, and wife, Debra, of Webb City; two grandsons, Eriq Kristek and Alex Gaskill; two step-grandsons, Rocky Trammell and wife, Chelsea, and Dakota Trammell and wife, Becky; three sisters, Mary Welch of Joplin, Shirley LePage of Jefferson City and Nancy Mayer of Ft. Worth, Texas; as well as a host of other family and friends.
Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Thursday morning, May 28, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. at her beloved church, St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Joplin, Missouri, with Father J. Friedel officiating. A Rosary will be recited at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at the church. Burial will follow in the Mount Hope Cemetery in Webb City, Missouri. Memorials are being directed to St. Peter’s Catholic Church c/o the mortuary.
Arrangements are under the personal care and direction of Thornhill-Dillon Mortuary in Joplin, Missouri.
I’m lucky to have had the opportunity to grow up with a mother who inspired me. She loved opera, The BeeGees and Neil Diamond. She loved the arts. She was always reciting lines from her favorite poets.
Her inspiration is deeper than all of that though. She has many phrases and quotes that have served me well over the years. She taught me to be humble. She taught me virtues. She practiced what she preached, and always made me act appropriately. I am in control of my life because she showed me how to live the right way. I am forever in her debt for making me the person I am today.
She’s with Jim and my sisters now. Her brothers are there also, to help keep her in line. Along with grandpa Cig and grandma Alice. And, one of these days I will join her and be able to enjoy her music, art and her beautiful spirit again. I love and miss you, mom.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Jim Gaskill, on September 29, 2013; three children, Christopher, Lisa and Jenifer; and three brothers, Ron, Al and Robert.
Carol is survived by her son, Jason Gaskill, and wife, Debra, of Webb City; two grandsons, Eriq Kristek and Alex Gaskill; two step-grandsons, Rocky Trammell and wife, Chelsea, and Dakota Trammell and wife, Becky; three sisters, Mary Welch of Joplin, Shirley LePage of Jefferson City and Nancy Mayer of Ft. Worth, Texas; as well as a host of other family and friends.
Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Thursday morning, May 28, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. at her beloved church, St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Joplin, Missouri, with Father J. Friedel officiating. A Rosary will be recited at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at the church. Burial will follow in the Mount Hope Cemetery in Webb City, Missouri. Memorials are being directed to St. Peter’s Catholic Church c/o the mortuary.
Arrangements are under the personal care and direction of Thornhill-Dillon Mortuary in Joplin, Missouri.
Good job with this obit Jason! I wouldn't know you from Adam nor did I know your Mom but I enjoyed (that may not be the best word) reading this and now I'm sorry I never met your mom.
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