Virginia Gassaway (nee Monaco) passed away peacefully on January 13, 2025, with her husband and daughter by her side. She was born on October 15, 1948, the second child of the late Edward Monaco of St. Louis, Missouri, and the late Gretchen Monaco (nee Neville) of Laurens, Iowa. Virginia was beloved wife of Thomas Gassaway; dear mother of Eric Gassaway and Carrie Gassaway; sister of Barbara Etienne; our dear aunt, cousin, and friend.

Virginia earned a Bachelor's degree in Education from the University of Missouri, and taught elementary school for eight years in three different states. In addition to teaching, she served as PTO President at River Bend Elementary School, and wrote a grant to have seniors from the community come to the school to read to students, or work individually on reading skills. It was a success as it bridged generations, and truly helped the children. For her dedication to volunteer work she was given the Pillar of Parkway award in 1994 for her work at the school.

Both of her parents believed in volunteerism. Besides volunteering for many school events, she also offered her time for the local pool's swimming team, serving as a timer, being the conference representative for the team, and operating the concession stand.

Her love of crafts became her hobby as she created ornaments and wreaths for all seasons. Many of her carefully crafted items are still used by the long term customers who bought them many years ago. Whatever she made was from the heart. However, her crafts were only part of her artistic talents. She liked knitting, and put that to good use by making hats in many sizes for preemies. Our dogs also benefited from this hobby as she made many sweaters for them. Other dog owners noticed them and were very complimentary to us about them. Her mother was a seamstress and passed this talent along to Virginia. She made many professionally finished dresses for herself, and outfits for our kids when they were small.

Like others we know, she was one of those people who had at least one plastic tub marked for each holiday. It did not matter which holiday it was, all the tub contents were in use as she wanted that holiday to be festive and special.

Virginia acquired a love of music early in life.  She had piano and voice lessons, and sang in church choir, school chorus, small vocal ensembles, and in school musicals. Her talent was appreciated in neighborhood musical productions. She loved singing along with recordings, or music in the car.

Both of her parents were gourmet cooks, and she learned that art from them. She was always looking for new recipes/ideas, and ways to use them. As a result, the family and friends looked forward to her meals.

The greatest legacy for us are her beautiful flower gardens. These were a result of her parents being avid gardeners combined with her artistic talent. She considered her yard work as her therapy rather than being just hard work. Many beds and terraces were created over the thirty years, and include many plants from her parents' gardens. As a result, our house is a neighborhood landmark, as "look for the house with all the flowers" is a guide to finding other houses. Some refer to it as an "English Garden" when it is in full bloom.

She became an avid supporter of women's rights and the LGBTQ+ Community. For years she helped our daughter navigate the mental health system, and advocated to get her the best care available.

She was a loyal friend to everyone, a kindhearted soul, and non-judgmental. Our family and all her friends will truly miss her. In closing, we believe God gained a person who will make heaven even prettier.

Services to remember and celebrate the life of Virginia Gassaway will be held at Ortmann Stipanovich Funeral Home at 12444 Olive Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63141. Visitation will be from 1pm-4pm on Saturday, January 25, followed by a service from 4pm-5pm that day. Donations should be sent to the American Cancer Society at: donate.cancer.org

Ortmann Stipanovich Funeral Home             www.osfuneralhomes.com