Funeral services for Mrs. Virginia Carol Meshell Gatti, 67, of Many were held April 7 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church with Father Mike Thang’wa officiating. Burial followed in the Spring Ridge Cemetery. She was born on July 28, 1949 in Many and passed away on Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at Sabine Retirement in Many. Virginia devoted her life to educating the youth of Sabine Parish. She viewed her teaching career as a calling and enjoyed the time she spent in the education system. As a fifth grade teacher, she watched Zwolle Intermediate students grow into men and women over 20 years. Over those years, she shared joy with students by way of graduations, marriages, children, and dream jobs. She was so thrilled anytime she heard a great story about a former student. In those years, she also shed tears over the lives of her students. As a mother and a teacher, it was very hard to separate roles; every student that entered her class left as one of her “children.” All of her children, including her three, will forever have the lessons she taught that ran much deeper than fifth grade Social Studies. She taught us kindness, love, hope, humility and so many more life lessons – she also taught us that she had impeccable aim with a chalkboard eraser if you weren’t paying attention. Virginia once wrote “I feel like I contributed to the many students I taught. Maybe I reached my goal and did not know it. If I helped one of the hundreds I taught, I reached my goal.” She was preceded in death by her father, Garvis Meshell, and father and mother-in-law, Murray Eugene and Rosemary Gatti. She is survived by her husband, Thomas R. Gatti of Many; sons, Chris Gatti and wife, Jessica, of Florien and Richard Gatti and wife, Amanda, of Ebarb; daughter, Carolyn Gatti and Blake Nichols of New Orleans; grandchildren, Alexis Gatti, Aleyah Gatti, Andrew Gatti, Kaleb Gatti, Kruze Gatti, Saylor Gatti and Colin Nichols; mother, Carolyn Meshell of Many; brother, Carl Meshell and wife, Debra, of Keithville; along with a host of extended family, friends, former students and colleagues. Pallbearers were Gage Meshell, Andrew Gatti, Kaleb Gatti, Dale Spurlock, Josh Lewis and Blake Nichols. Honorary pallbearers were Tommy Gatti, H.J. Laborde, Tom Kelly, Jerry Rodriguez and William Ruffin. The family offers sincere thanks to Hospice of Natchitoches for their care. In lieu of flowers, the family would ask that donations be made to Holy Angels Residential Facility in Shreveport, Louisiana, www.laholyangels.org/donate/ Online condolences may be made to the family at www.warrenmeadows.com
July 15, 2026
