Obituary
Antonina Restsinski Massengale, 97, of Chester, Virginia went to be with the Lord on January 25, 2026. She was a cherished mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend. Her presence will be deeply missed.
Antonina, nicknamed “Tosia” in her youth, and “Toni” as an adult, was born in Narva, Estonia on June 13, 1928, to Franz Restsinski and Anastassia Ostova Restsinski as the youngest of eight children. To escape the invading Russian army during WWII, Antonina fled to Germany at the age of 16 with a girlfriend. Surviving the horrors of the war and its aftermath, Antonina met and later married American GI Luther Massengale. As an army wife, Antonina lived in various places and raised four children before settling in Petersburg, VA and later Melbourne, FL. She moved back to Virginia in 1995 to be closer to her family. Antonina enjoyed cooking and sewing, turning her cooking talent into a job as an Oster demonstrator. Most important of all was her faith in Jesus Christ, whom she accepted as her Savior in 1964.
Antonina is survived by her son, George Massengale (Mona Maehara) of Honolulu, HI; daughter, Tina Conant (Brian) of Chester, VA; son, David Massengale (Lisa Daly) of Bluffton, IN; daughters in Christ, Cathy Strickland (Gary) of Waycross, GA and Mary Deans of Colonial Heights, VA; grandsons, Daniel, Jay, Matthew and Andrew; great-grandchildren, Gage, Jay, Ian and Olivia.
She was preceded in death by her husband Luther Massengale; son, Michael Massengale, and grandsons, Michael C. Massengale and William Massengale.
The family would like to express their immense gratitude to the Lucy Corr Healthcare Center staff and in particular Dale unit nurses Leslie and Estri who took turns staying with Antonina during a dangerous winter storm. The family would also like to thank the Crater Hospice team, especially Bill Humphreys, for their caring and support. Finally, the family would like to remember Lucy Corr residents Melody Humphreys, Vivian Reed and Janet Davis for their loving friendship with our mom.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to J.L. Dodson and Sons Funeral Establishment. Services are to be determined.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Antonina’s memory to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association or Samaritan’s Purse.
Professional services have been entrusted to the staff of J. L. Dodson and Sons Funeral Establishment 25824 Greensville Avenue Petersburg Virginia 23803 Dinwiddie County, (804) 732-5959 and (804)834-3330. Bishop Jeffrey L. Dodson, Sr., and Ricky Montgomery Funeral Directors. Online condolences may be registered at www.jldodsonandsons.com.“Our Family Servicing Your Family”
To send a flower arrangement in memory of Mrs. Antonina Restsinski Massengale, please click here to visit our sympathy store.