Nancy Kubal, age 54, of Carrington, ND died peacefully in her sleep on Friday, February 11, 2011, at her home.

On November 2, 1956, the first born daughter of Loren and Dorothy (Schnieders) Penning blessed the world. Nancy Ann was born in the small town of Dell Rapids, SD, the eldest of three farm girls. Her first steps, first words, and first giggles started a lifetime love of busyness and gabbing gigglin' sessions with anyone who chanced to meet her. She grew up helping her dad and mom with the family beef cattle operation and she fondly remembered stories of trips to the livestock barn and Ed's Produce, and less fondly - her encounters with the chickens. Her dad kept a tight rein on his girls, and she loved to remind her kids that he had to accompany her to the senior prom. Then, she turned 18 and got her own car, which she promptly ran through a barbed wire fence. But she was on her own and living the American Dream life.

She worked at Terrace Manor Nursing Home as a Dietary/Nutrition Aide when she met a boy at the feed store. And from there her life changed forever. Nancy married that boy, Jerome Kubal, from Tyndall on June 12, 1982, in Dell Rapids, SD, and shortly thereafter they started their family. Her first son, Christopher Jerome started out their big Catholic family, following with Jessica Ann, TracyJo Marie, Angela Elizabeth, and finally Casey Jerome in 7 short years. As you all know, the woman was a saint! She continued to work at Terrace Manor while Jerome worked in Sioux Falls and went to school. In June 1994, she packed up all her babies and moved them to Carrington, ND. Nancy wanted nothing more than to be a stay-at-home mom for her kids and Dad's new job in North Dakota gave her that opportunity. It was probably the hardest decision she made, to leave SD, but any chance to spend more time with her kids won out, hands down. Nancy was born to be a mother, and it's all she lived for. She soon found herself bored with only Casey left at home, and with nothing left to clean, and by Divine Intervention, one of her best friends needed some part-time daycare. It turns out Amy "Spunt" started the next 15 years of daycare fun. She loved every child that she met and every time one went to school, another soon took their place. With a whole lot of patience, love, and fun, Nancy created a daycare family that everyone fell in love with. All of her own children grew up with one generation of kids, and we all have handfuls of stories about "our" kids. Nancy was an amazing seamstress. Although she would swear Jerome's machine "hated her", she was remarkable with her sewing machine that she had from the 6th grade. Her kids would bring in endless amounts of projects for her to fix. Even when she threatened to throw them, she always fixed the disasters. For her wedding, Nancy sewed all the dresses, including her own wedding dress, although those who were there remember her starting it on fire. Then came the endless remodeling projects. She thought her husband and kids were master carpenters, and by the "end" of the remodeling, we just might be! The pride she had for her kitchen cabinets, her Christmas village, and her front yard were founded more in the fact that her husband and children built them than anything else. And then came High School Football, FFA, Volleyball, and a whole myriad of trophies and awards to line her dining room shelves. In all her proud displays, Nancy also has a Hometown Hero award and an Honorary FFA Chapter Award to call her own. All the awards that belong to her children she worked just as hard for, always getting someone ready by 5:00 am on a Saturday, or sifting through millet and bean samples until the wee hours of the morning. Not only did she have her own family, and her daycare family, but she had her neighborhood family as well. The neighbor ladies always knew their lawn would be mowed, their snow would be shoveled and they could call if they needed anything. All of the kids' friends had a second home at "Ma Kubal's" house. There were always cookies and milk and all sorts of things to keep them occupied and "out of trouble." And to this day, they all know they are her kids too, and the freely come, go, and eat as they please. And then as the kids got older the camper came, fully decorated and remodeled, and then the next camper, and the boat (although not her favorite past-time she tried to sit on the boat without getting too sick). Mom and Dad took that camper EVERYWHERE, and it more recently became their second home, although her very first trip with a camper, she didn't make the night. She had enough groceries in that thing to feed an army at all times, and sometimes that's just what she did. As her kids all moved away, she found that traveling was her new favorite hobby. A weekend rarely went by that she wasn't off visiting someone or another, usually for no reason at all, other than to be with her kids. She dragged Dad everywhere she went, they were rarely apart. A love like that is an inspiration to everyone! And her greatest joy of all, her kids getting married, and most importantly - her granddaughters. Sierra, Sawyer, and Madisyn meant the world to her, and there were times that she would skip whole weekends of things she needed to get done, just so she could see her babies. Or better yet, Nancy would put the kids to work at her house, so she could play with her babies. When she wasn't with them physically, Nancy was always lining her cabinets with pictures, and watching videos online. Her kids had to buy her a computer so she could keep with her grand-kids. Every year when the snow decided to start flying, it was a sure bet you'd hear Christmas tunes when you walked in the kitchen, and then came the decorations...boxes and boxes of decorations - so many that it took 3 days to get them all put up!! Nancy watched Christmas movies all year-round and she knew them all by heart. We know this because as she "putzed" around the house, with the show still be playing, she would know exactly what was going on when she got back to the kitchen. Nancy instilled in all of her children's hearts a LOVE for the holidays. To sum up a life like hers in a few words is impossible, but everyone who came in contact with her fell instantly in love with her giggling and constant chatter. Nancy had an addictive personality, and if you spent more than 2 minutes with her, you were in an instantly good mood.

Nancy will be remembered and deeply missed by her husband and soul mate, Jerome;  children, Chris (Lindsey) Kubal, Dickinson, ND, Jessie (Cody) Wolf, Dickinson, ND, Tracy (Tony) Klein, Dell Rapids, SD, Angie Kubal, Dickinson, ND, Casey Kubal, Dell Rapids, SD;grandchildren, Sierra, Sawyer, and Madisyn; and her father, Loren Penning, Dell Rapids, SD

She was greeted in heaven by her mother, Dorothy Penning; her sister and best friend, Linda Sue Penning; God-son Jason Burggraff; and father-in-law Joseph Kubal

FUNERAL SERVICE: Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Carrington, ND

DATE AND TIME: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 10:30AM

2ND SERVICE: Kahler Funeral Home, Dell Rapids, SD

DATE AND TIME: Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at 8:00PM

BURIAL: St. Mary's Cemetery, Dell Rapids, SD on Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 11:00AM