Memorial services for 79-year old Zale Quible of Merriman, NE, will be held at a later date.
Memorial donations for the Merriman Rural Fire Department may be sent in care of Chamberlain-Pier Funeral Home, PO Box 366, Gordon, NE 69343.
Online condolences may be left at www.chamberlainchapel.com
Zale Quible was born on June 27, 1944, in Gordon, NE, and passed away on April 13, 2024, at his home in Merriman surrounded by his loving family after a months-long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Zale was the youngest of 3 children born to Kenneth and Clare (Beyersdorf) Quible. He attended school just across the highway at a rural schoolhouse on the Quible Ranch through 7th grade, then went to 8th grade in Merriman.
Zale attended high school at the Nebraska School of Agriculture in Curtis and graduated in 1962. After graduation, he returned to the family ranch – where he lived the remainder of his life.
He began working on the ranch with his parents and liked to spend some time riding down the road on his motorcycle and burning the back tires off his cars. This need for speed led to him racing cars at area race tracks for several years and later doing some off-road racing.
Zale met Judy McGinley and they married on Nov. 9, 1968. To this union 3 children were born: Shane Jeffrey, Damian Jacob (Jake), and Rebecca Ann. Throughout their 55-year marriage, Zale and Judy raised their kids together, were “Papa” and “Nana” to their grandkids, and got through the heartbreak of losing their oldest son Shane to an accident.
Zale lived his whole life at the ranch, becoming a fixture of the community, a successful rancher, and a steward of the beautiful Sandhills. He worked numerous other jobs in addition to the ranch.
He was a welder and fabricator for some years at Weber Manufacturing in Merriman, then in the early 1980’s started his own road construction company. It ran for two years and did the slope protection on several highway rebuilding projects in the area.
Zale worked as a sales rep for a feed company for a time and drove a school bus between Merriman and Gordon for a few years before serving as a Cherry County Commissioners for 20 years.
He also owned and operated Buckles Service Station in Merriman from the mid-1990’s through 2010 and also spent many hours in his shop during these years manufacturing gate levers that he sold at stores in the area.
After selling the station, Zale spent his ‘retirement’ years working on the ranch. He was always making improvements and looking for projects he could do.
Zale’s most important jobs were being a husband, a caring and generous father, and ‘Papa’ to his grandkids. Zale and Judy made many trips going to their grandkids’ football games, music concerts, and other sporting events. They also enjoyed vacations with friends in these later years.
Zale never quite got over his passion for speed and he and Jake spent a lot of nights at dirt tracks in the Midwest. He enjoyed going on motorcycle rides with friends. He also had a passion for fishing and spent many days on the lake with good friends and family.
Zale cherished the many friendships he made in the community and throughout the different aspects of his life.
Zale is survived by his wife Judy; his son Jake (Shannon) Quible of Lincoln, NE; his daughter Rebecca (Dan) Maciejczak of Pierre, SD; his 4 grandchildren Jared Maciejczak, Jason Maciejczak, Alex Quible and Aubrey Quible; his sister Zoe (Armand) Richert of Gresham, NE, and his brother Zane (Pat) Quible of Stillwater, OK.,; and by many nephews and nieces.
Zale was preceded in death by his parents Kenneth and Clare Quible and his son Shane Quible.
Chamberlain-Pier Funeral Home in Gordon is in charge of arrangements for Zale Quible.