SKIPPERVILLE…Mrs. Martha Raye Monk Gassett, a resident of Skipperville, died Friday evening, September 25, 2026, in Oak View Manor Health Care Center in Ozark. She was 85.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 A.M. Tuesday, September 29, 2026, in Morgan Baptist Church with Reverend Tim Sewell and Pastor Brian Presley officiating. Burial will follow in Beersheba Cemetery. Fuqua Bankston Funeral Home of Ozark is in charge of arrangements. The family will receive friends from 5:00 until 7:00 P.M. Monday at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be made to Morgan Baptist Church, c/o Betty Watson, 186 White Oak Bend, Ozark, Alabama 36360.
Mrs. Gassett, daughter of the late Melvin Cassie Monk and Mollie Evelyn Snell Monk, was a native and lifelong resident of Skipperville, a community she dearly loved and was proud to call home. Throughout her life, she was known as a kind and caring lady who had a true servant’s heart. She was happiest when she was doing something for someone else, never looking for recognition or expecting anything in return. Helping others simply came naturally to her.
For more than twenty years, Mrs. Gassett was employed with the Dale County School System at G.W. Long, where she faithfully served as a member of the support personnel before her retirement. Her work was much more than just a job to her. She cared about the students, teachers, staff, and families she encountered throughout the years and was always willing to lend a helping hand wherever one was needed. She believed that even the smallest acts of kindness could make someone’s day a little better, and that was the way she tried to live her life.
Mrs. Gassett’s servant’s heart was especially evident through her many years of service at Morgan Baptist Church, where she was a faithful and devoted member. Her church family held a very special place in her heart, and she willingly gave of her time and talents whenever there was a need. For more than thirty years, she served as Director of Vacation Bible School, a ministry that meant so much to her. She poured countless hours into making Vacation Bible School a special time for the children, making sure everything was ready and that every child who walked through the doors felt welcomed, loved, and important. She was preceded in death by her husband of sixty-seven years, Pete Gassett; a daughter, Martha Carol Gassett, brother, Wayne Monk, sister, Mary Bludsworth and her husband, Buddy, and brothers-in-law, Bobby Blocker, and Charles Mitchell.
Surviving relatives include her children, Dianne Tharpe (John) and Michael Gassett (Julia), all of Skipperville; brother, Mel Monk (Sherry), Brundidge; two sisters-in-law, Sara Blocker, Fairhope and Ann Mitchell, Graceville; grandson, Jonathan Tharpe (Danika), Skipperville; great-granddaughter, JeorgieAnne Carol Tharpe; special caregiver, Tammy Prestwood; several special nieces and nephews.
Serving as active pallbearers will be Allen Dorrill, Justin Jernegan, James Lee, Jackson Marsh, T.J. Sewell, Paul Morrison, Tony Hancock, and James Blackburn.
You may sign a guest register at www.fuquabankston.com
