Margaret E. Casey Gaskill

Gaskill, Margaret E. Born Aug. 25, 1925, Margaret Ellen (Casey) Gaskill died peacefully Feb. 14, 2017 at home with her loving family nearby. She was predeceased by her husband Glen Gaskill, son Timothy K., daughter Amy Cantrell, and sisters Jeanne and Ann. Peggy is survived by her children Glen H. Jr., Patricia “Poppy” Fobert (Greg), Dan (Mary Ann), Julie (Richard Carter), Jerome, daughter-in-law Beckie, son-in-law Gary, grandchildren Sarah, Joseph, Ian, Margaret E. “Libby”, Kaitlyn and Jeff, and two great-grandchildren, Reina and Joe.

Peggy was a loving Mother, Grandmother, and Friend. We will always treasure her generous spirit, her keen wit and her intellect. In her junior year of college, Peggy and a schoolmate were the first Webster University students to leave for a year of foreign study, taking a Greyhound bus to Laval University in Quebec. Peggy graduated from Webster with a BA in French, and returned to teach French at Webster for 30 years, at times chairing its Dept. of Foreign Languages. She pioneered the “immersion” technique of speaking only the native language in the classroom, and her country weekend classes, 8-week intensives and French chef demos helped make learning fun. She got her Masters in French in ’74 from Wash. U. and became a Certified Translator. Peggy also knew Latin, briefly taught Spanish and Italian, and in her 70s learned and taught German.

Peggy was an accomplished cook, French chef, and Bridge Life Master. She loved her family, her friends, her dogs, the outdoors, gardening, fishing, and watching birds. She loved reading her daily newspapers, politics, and lifelong learning. Peggy’s powers of concentration were so good from her bridge game that she could count cards. For a while in her late 70s she would wear her stylish leather jacket to the Admiral on the riverfront, follow a system in a book she’d read, and consistently win at blackjack. You could say Peggy, one classy lady, spent a short time as a “riverboat gambler.” She loved and lived life to the fullest. Her courage, unfailing humor and balanced outlook on life was admired by everyone who knew her. We will miss her so. We will cherish her memory as long as we live.

Memorial gathering will be Sunday, February 26, 2017 from 3pm until the time of service beginning at 4:30pm, at Hoffmeister Colonial Mortuary, 6464 Chippewa Street near Watson, St. Louis, MO 63109. Our family thanks Mother’s devoted caregivers Sheila and Sherry. Instead of flowers, donations may be sent to Peggy’s favorite charity, Doctors without Borders. Please share memories at www.hoffmeistercolonial.com.