Catherine Minnie Weber passed away on December 3rd, 2020 in Lincoln, Nebraska. She was 88 years old. Catherine was born to Joseph and Elizabeth Simons, of Nenzel, Nebraska on April 19th, 1932. She was the second youngest of nine children. She grew up on a farm there in Nenzel. She lived in Merriman through her school days and worked the family café. Cathy taught at a country school for two years. She told of a Christmas music program that she put together for the children, her Dad helped build a stage to allow all the students to stand in an amphitheater tree format holding candles to entertain their audience and sang Christmas songs.
On December 26, 1950 Cathy married her husband, Jack Weber of 66 years, from Maxwell, Nebraska. Cathy and Jack made many memories during their military days together. They loved entertaining other couples, playing bridge and pinochle to name a few. She enjoyed bowling and was on a league many years, having a consistent average of 175. Cathy’s favorite game of all time was Bingo. Her children used to make jokes about how she would walk through a blizzard to get to a Bingo Hall…she loved that they played at the Imperial Heights and was so proud when she won a nickel. Cathy was an amazing cook but she had to do her time in the kitchen like all of us to become the amazing short order cook, baker, chef she was. One memory always told of was a beautiful shrimp meal she made. They were entertaining a couple for the evening. It would have been perfect if only she had known to peel the shrimp before serving. She and Jack raised 6 children on various bases in the United States and Europe Airforce bases.
Some of the fondest memories made with her family were of Cathy’s continuous presence in the kitchen cooking. As she would boast, “If you leave here hungry it’s your own damn fault!” As it was for her growing up, Christmas isn't Christmas without homemade pies of every kind, fudge, divinity, peanut brittle, and popcorn balls (her favorite) just to name a few. One year, living in Brady, Nebraska , her son David came home from the Navy proud in a tailored Italian suit. All her children wanted to tease their Mom and hide all the goodies she had “worked and slaved” to bake before Christmas Eve. After she had gone to bed, all her homemade goodies were placed underneath the guest room bed, and when she awoke, they were nowhere to be found, of course Cathy had a conniption fit as she would say. We convinced her that we had stayed up all night and eaten everything while she was sleeping, because she had actually baked them for us anyway. She was not happy with any of her kids, because all though she had slaved on all the homemade goodies for them, they were not to be eaten until Christmas day! They went and retrieved them from under the bed, and all was well.
Cathy had a green thumb just like her mother. She and Jack would have a huge garden providing the family with fresh vegetables of every kind. Her home was always adorned with beautiful healthy plants everywhere. She and Jack traveled for seven years in their RV home visiting family and stopping at a casino, as she enjoyed playing the slots. Sometimes the cold hard cash winnings would be found in the freezer. Cathy volunteered baking pies for the Catholic Auxiliary and Veteran's club to sell and volunteered for the St. Agnus thrift store. Cathy looked forward to her family reunions every summer and felt very blessed to have such a close family. After she lost her husband she moved to the Heights in Imperial, Nebraska where she met many new friends and became a pro bowler on the Wii. With such a crazy year, Cathy, like so many others, had a hard time with the facility’s mandatory lockdown, so her children moved her out and she so enjoyed staying with family these past 6 months.
Cathy was preceded in death by her husband Jack, her parents, Joseph and Elizabeth Simons, mother and father in law Johnny & Mary Weber, grandson Kendrick Blaine Weber and great-great-grandson, Koda Johnson. Her Sisters, Gladys, Leola, Mary Ann, Her brothers Edward, Bernard and Andy
Cathy is survived by her daughter Connie Westbrook and husband, Bob, of Arnold, NE, David Weber and wife, Christine, of Franktown, CO, Pamela Diehl and husband, Scott, of Holly Hill, FL, Donna Tucker and husband, John, of Lincoln, NE, Mary Wilson and husband, Kirk ,of Imperial, NE, and Tracy Dallas and husband, Pete ,of Albuquerque, NM, her Sister; Alma Gordon of Salina, KS, Sister; Stella Nash, and husband, Jack, of Cassville, MO. Her sister in law Barbara Gutherless of Brady Ne. 29 grandchildren, 40 great-grandchildren, 13 great-great-grandchildren, plus numerous nephews and nieces.
A memorial has been suggested to St. Agnes Catholic Church, P.O. Box 309, Stapleton, NE 69163