Pearl Violet Kubat

Pearl Violet Hefte Kubat died June 21, 2011 at Suite Living of North Branch at the age of 95 years, 7 months, and 19 days. She was born December 2, 1915 to Helmer and Clara Hefte in Comfort Township in Kanabec County. She grew up on the 120-acre farm, gathering eggs, milking cows, feeding the chickens, helping with the haying, helping her father with the farm chores, and picking blueberries and cranberries from the bogs to sell for 10 cents a quart. She was the younger of two girls and many of the farm chores had to be done by them. She attended Mora High School, working in a doctor’s home for her room and board. She lived with her older sister Edna, helping with house chores after high school and later moved to Pine City to work at Jack’s Café. There she met Richard “Skitch” Kubat and they were married May 1, 1937 at the Presbyterian Church parsonage. They built a modest home across from Richard’s parents and filled it with five children Bruce, Clark, Linda, Nancy, and Vicki. Richard entered the Navy on April 4, 1945. At this time, Pearl had two small children and was expecting another. This was a trying time for her, but she was a resourceful home maker. She excelled at sewing clothing, using every left-over scrap for quilts and rugs, or for patching. Her cooking and baking was without equal. had grown up during the Great Depression and knew how to get the most out of every item. Shakespeare wrote in The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth Act I Scene II that you can’t make a silk purse from a sow’s ear. Well, he didn’t know our mother. She could do that and more and she would be the first to tell you so. Once, when Bruce brought back some bones from the butcher shops for his dogs, she looked at them and said, “These are too good for those dogs.” And she promptly cooked them up for dinner. She made many clothing garments that are still cherished to this day. She made and gave a quilt to each child and grandchild. These will be keepsake mementoes for the recipients. Not only sewing, but gardening and canning filled her time. The basement shelves were full of canned applesauce, pickles, tomatoes, beets, peaches, pears, apricots, and sauerkraut. Skitch loved to fish and Pearl would help smoke the catfish and fry up the filleted fish. Skitch also liked to hunt and the freezer was full of venison, duck, geese, rabbit, and squirrel that were served up with mashed potatoes, gravy and one of the vegetables. The family had many favorite recipes, brown bread, date bars, brown beans, potato salad, apple pie, and potato dumplings with pork and sauerkraut. As the children got older and entered school, she worked at the Pine City Arsenal, as a bar waitress, and down at the New Brighton Arsenal. In June 1968 she became one of the original employees at the Pine City 3M plant and enjoyed the friendship and fellowship of her co-workers. She retired from there on April 30, 1981 after almost 13 years with 3M. Her later years were spent quilting and preparing rags for rag rugs. She still enjoyed baking bread and making the family favorites for special occasions. She also enjoyed raising parakeets, which provided cheerful cheeping while she worked at her hobbies. She entered Suite Living Assisted Living in North Branch in August 2010, still active at age 94. She remained in good health, physically and mentally, until her last three weeks when her body and mind and spirit told her that it was time to join her departed loved ones. She was preceded in death by her mother Clara on April 5, 1956, her father Helmer on October 14, 1966, her sister Edna on July 20, 1994, and her husband Skitch on January 13, 1987. She is survived by her children Bruce (Karen) Kubat of North Branch, Clark Kubat of Stacy, Linda (Ronnie) Bergerson of North Branch, Nancy (Jack) Barr of Lindstrom, and Vicki (Phil) Schlief of Silver City, South Dakota. 12 grandchildren: Rich Kubat, Mark (Terri) Kubat, Chris (Becky) Bergerson, Wade (Cheryl) Bergerson, Eric Bergerson, Keifer Soukup, Kye (April) Lackey, Darcy (Leslie) Pocta, Galen (Antonia) Pocta, Jessa (Hector) Peloquin, Jon Brehm Kubat, and Josh Brehm. 9 great grandchildren: Calvin Kubat, Spencer Kubat, Alex Bergerson, Emma Bergerson, Jaxon Lackey, Lilah Lackey, Lillian Pocta, Violet Pocta, and Atlas Stone Pocta. 4 nieces: Chloe (Bill) Danger; Gloria Santillo, Bev (Robert) Larson, Audrey (Robert) Lind, and nephew Sonny (Margaret) Jacques. Reverend Al Valerius will officiate funeral services; Sunday (6/26/11) 2:00 P.M. at the Swanson Funeral Chapel, in Pine City. A time of visitation and reviewal is scheduled for 1 ½ hrs prior to the funeral on Sunday. The interment will be in the Birchwood Cemetery in Pine City. Casket bearers will be her grandchildren: Chris Bergerson, Wade Bergerson, Eric Bergerson, Mark Kubat, Rich Kubat, Keifer Soukup, Kye Lackey, Darcy Pocta, Galen Pocta, and Jessa Pocta. Funeral arrangements for Pearl Kubat have been entrusted to; The Funeral & Cremation Service of Pine City *Swanson Chapel*