Peggy Jo Massingill

Peggy Jo Bentley Massingill, age 91 of Gatesville, passed away at home on Sunday, October 25, 2026.

Graveside services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, October 31, 2026, at Murphree Cemetery in Evant. The family will receive visitors from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Friday evening at Scott’s Funeral Home.

Peggy was born in Longview, Texas on October 19, 1935, to Jack and Evelyn Hart Bentley. Her father, Jack Bentley was killed in a logging accident when she was just three years old. Her mother later married Thomas "Tom" Hudson. At a very young age Peggy was working alongside her siblings in the fields, picking or pulling cotton, peanuts, watermelons, peas or whatever crop was in season while trying to avoid the evil bull nettle plants.

At age 18 Peggy moved to Gatesville with the sewing company she worked for in Groesbeck. On June 30, 1956, she married Ira Massingill Jr. Together, they traveled wherever Ira’s construction jobs took them before eventually purchasing land and building a home in Gatesville.

Peggy and Ira took great pride in providing for their family. Through careful budgeting, hard work, and determination, they managed to build two homes debt-free. When Ira, a union ironworker, finished one job and waited for the next to begin, Peggy managed their finances so well that their children never realized when times were tight.

Although Peggy did not have much of a formal education, people often assumed she was a college graduate. She took pride in her appearance and lived by the belief that "cleanliness is next to godliness," a principle she considered to be an order directly from God. She modeled it in everything she did.

Many local educators and people who attended Gatesville schools remember Ms. Peggy. She loved the children and her job. She was firm in her beliefs and opinions and was unafraid to express them no matter who she was speaking to. She was the epitome of "if you don't want the truth, don't ask."

Above all, Peggy loved her family and especially cherished the title of being called Mimi by her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She also enjoyed going to the casinos and local game rooms, although she would insist that she only went because Ira begged her to take him.

She is survived by her son, Olan Massingill and wife Tammy; daughter, Kathy Brady and husband Arthur; brother, Thomas Hudson and wife, Dorothy; grandchildren, Christopher Baker and wife Vanessa, Ryan Brady and wife Savannah, Shalayne Massingill and wife Lacy, Cassidy Brady, Gage Brady and wife Samara, Kaylee Enyeart and husband James; and great grandchildren, Ghleana, Joseph, Olivia, Remington, Willow Grace, and Parker who were "the loves of her life." Peggy also leaves behind many beloved nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family ask that memorials be made to Bluebonnet Hospice, 307 Londonderry Drive, Waco, TX 76712, or to the Gatesville Boys and Girls Club, 2533 E. Main Street, Gatesville, TX 76528.