Ella Gateley

Ella Louise Gateley passed away peacefully Tuesday evening, Nov. 17, 2020, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau, where she received very loving care and resided since April 2020.

She was born June 11, 1928, in Cape Girardeau to the late Roy E. and Bertha Johnson Sanders. She was a life-long resident of Cape Girardeau, attending May Greene School and graduating from Cape Girardeau Central High School in 1945.

Ella and Melvin R. Gateley were married June 7, 1951. They had two children, Stephen K. Gateley of Nashville, Tennessee, and Renauta Gateley McNabb of Cape Girardeau.

Ella was a wonderful Christian woman devoted to the Lord and her family. As a young woman, she was the manager of Sears Order Office in Cape Girardeau. She took time off to raise her family and went back to work after her children were grown. She then became church secretary for First Baptist Church, where she served for 18 years.

She loved decorating her home, gardening and working with crafts. Anyone who knew Ella knew she was a very elegant woman who was always "dressed to the nines." She was a wonderful cook who enjoyed cooking for family and friends, especially for her three loving grandchildren. She and Melvin were very active in the community and the church, serving on many committees, as well as being very active in their Sunday school class and fellowship groups.

Survivors include a son, Stephen (Melinda) Gateley; a daughter, Renauta (John) McNabb; three grandchildren, Stuart (Emily) Gateley, Andrew Gateley and Molly McNabb; as well as a brother, Harold Sanders of Niceville, Florida.

Ella was preceded in death by both her parents and her devoted husband, Melvin Gateley, to whom she was married 67 years.

Friends and family are welcome to attend a brief visitation from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday at Ford and Sons Funeral Home, 1001 N. Mount Auburn Road in Cape Girardeau. A memorial service will follow at 11 a.m. at the funeral home, officiated by the Rev. Kevin Coffee of Lynwood Baptist Church. The family requests that all who choose to attend please wear masks and practice social distancing.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, Ella's family would be pleased if memorial gifts would be made either to Lynwood Baptist Church or to Lynwood Christian Academy, both at 2935 Lynwood Hills Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701.

Online condolences may be made at www.fordandsonsfuneralhome.com.