Zale K. Quible, 79

Zale Kenneth Quible, 79, of Merriman passed away at his home surrounded by his loving family April 13, 2024 after a monthslong battle with pancreatic cancer.

Zale was the youngest of three children born to Kenneth and Clare (Beyersdorf) Quible June 27, 1944. He attended school just across the highway at a rural schoolhouse on the Quible Ranch through seventh grade and eighth grade in Merriman. Zale then attended high school at the Nebraska School of Agriculture in Curtis, NE, 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 November 9, 1968. To this union three children were born; Shane Jeffrey, Damian Jacob (Jake), and Rebecca Ann. Throughout their 55-year marriage, they 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 worked at Weber Manufacturing in Merriman for some years as a welder and fabricator. In the early 1980s, he started his own road construction company for two years and did the slope protection on several highway rebuilding projects in the area. He worked as a sales rep for a feed company and drove a school bus between Merriman and Gordon for a few years. He served on the Cherry County Board of Commissioners for 20 years. Zale owned and operated Buckles Service Station in Merriman from the mid-1990s 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, his daughter, Rebecca (Dan) Maciejczak of Pierre, SD; his four grandchildren, Jared Maciejczak, Jason Maciejczak, Alex Quible and Aubrey Quible; his sister Zoe (Armand) Richert of Gresham; and his brother Zane (Pat) Quible of Stillwater, OK. He is also survived by many nephews and nieces.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth and Clare Quible and his son Shane Quible.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Memorials will be donated to the Merriman Rural Fire Department.