Therese M. Kay

Therese M. Kay

1968 – 2025

HOLSTEIN - Therese M. Kay, 56, of Holstein, passed away on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025 at the Cherokee Regional Medical Center of Cherokee. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025 at 2 p.m. at the Nicklas D. Jensen Funeral Home of Holstein, with Fr. Dan Rupp officiating. A visitation will be held prior to the service at 1 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be at the Holstein Cemetery of Holstein.

Therese Marie (Rubis) Kay was born in Sioux City on Oct. 30, 1968 to Jerome and Mary (Severson) Rubis. Her childhood was spent on a farm near Hinton, always her dad’s helper. She graduated from Hinton High School in 1987 and attended Iowa State University earning a degree in Meteorology in 1993. She was a devoted Iowa State Cyclone fan.

Therese met the love of her life at a George Strait concert at the Iowa State Fair in August of 1989. During their dating years, they enjoyed going to a favorite hangout called the Round-Up in Boone to listen to the band “Rowdy” (which later played at their wedding reception). Therese and Jeff were married on Aug. 20, 1993 at the St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church of Holstein. They resided on a farm NE of Holstein during their entire marriage.  

Therese was the go-to person for predicting weather and storm watching. Jeff said she was the “brain of the farming operation,” and a true FarmHER. She loved her Gleaner, doing all of their combining. Therese loved raising cattle but hated selling them, as they all had names and became pets. She enjoyed bottle feeding calves that needed extra attention and working the hogs. Therese loved to cook and bake, always trying new recipes and putting up preserves. She always said Jeff ate enough for two people, but she could never get any weight on him. Therese enjoyed gardening, caring for flowers, and just watching a storm roll in. Nature’s pleasures were her pleasures. Therese and Jeff were never apart from each other, not one day of their marriage. They will never be apart in the memories and love they shared. She will live on in our hearts and be chasing clouds from above. All our love.

She is survived by her husband, Jeffrey Kay of Holstein; sisters-in-law, Kathleen Wittrock (Dan Roepke) of Cherokee, Mary Gross of Holstein, Susan Jensen of Ottertail, Minnesota; brother-in-law, Curt (Lana) Kay of Holstein, and numerous nieces and nephews. She is also survived by two special kitties, Fluff and Buddy; a favorite uncle, Tom Rubis and two brothers, Paul and Brian Rubis.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Jerome and Mary Jo Rubis; maternal and fraternal grandparents; parents-in-law, Herb and Joyce Kay and brothers-in-law, Terry Gross and Merlin Jensen.

Online condolences can be made at nicklasdjensenfh.com.