Mary Lou Carrico Gaskill's Obituary
Mary Lou Carrico Gaskill, 92, of Charleston, Illinois passed away Sunday, December 18, 2022, at her home in Charleston. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM, Wednesday, December 28, 2022, at Adams Funeral Chapel in Charleston, Illinois. Visitation will be held from 10:00 AM until time of service at the chapel. Burial will be in the Ashmore Cemetery. Memorials in her honor may be made to the EIU Foundation: Mary L. Carrico Gaskill Scholarship and left at the visitation/service or mailed to Adams Funeral Chapel, 2330 Shawnee Drive, Charleston, Illinois 61920.
Mary Lou was born August 19, 1930, in Danville, Illinois the daughter of Dr. Preston and Lula Ann (Senter) Carrico. She married Dr. Ed Gaskill in 1967, and he preceded her in death in 2013. She is survived by her nephew Darrell (Joyce) Snoddy, niece, Katie (Roger) Kiser, and extended family who filled her life with love, joy, and laughter including Sue Armstrong and family, Mildred Collins and family, the Montgomery family, Lisa and Brad Booker, Candace Walworth, Carl Walworth and family, Trudy, Jon and Anthony Gross, and the Friday Card Group. Also surviving are the Troy Vaughn and Kim Brighum families, Debbie Burkhart and family, Chad and Amanda Snoddy, the Tony O'Brien family, the Jefferson Elementary School faculty family, and the extended family relationships through Ed's family. She was preceded in death by her parents and many other loved ones.
Mary Lou graduated from Oakland High School class of 1948. She went on to obtain her Bachelor's in Education from Eastern Illinois University, her Master's in Education and a Specialist in Education from the University of Illinois and furthered her education at Eastern becoming certified in Learning Disabilities and Administration. She began her teaching career in Fairfield, Illinois in 1952 and continued her teaching in Tennessee and across several schools in Illinois before retiring from Charleston School District in 1994.
Mary Lou was a member of Wesley United Methodist Church and currently attended the First Presbyterian Church in Mattoon. She enjoyed being a member of the Coles County Retired Teachers Association, the State University Retirement Association, and the Illinois Retired Teachers Association. She participated in the Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center Guild, EIU Foundation, Tarble Arts Center, and was an EIU Symphony Sponsor. She was an avid reader and an enthusiastic college basketball fan who also enjoyed both cooking and eating out. She would spend her Fridays playing cards with the Friday Card Group. She especially loved traveling and had extensively traveled the United States and abroad. She had four small dogs over the years: Von Stubby, Andy, Mai Tai, and Jasmine whom she loved very much.
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