Celestine "Sally" Kiolbasa

December 23, 1923 - April 13, 2022

CELESTINE "SALLY" KIOLBASA, 98, of Grant, passed away Wednesday, April 13, 2022, at the Perkins County Hospital in Grant. Sally was born December 23, 1923, at Dwight, Nebraska, to James and Adeline (Rezac) Sabata. The family moved to the Ogallala/Paxton area, where she attended school, graduating from Paxton High School in 1941. After completing normal training, Sally returned to teach at Paxton for a couple of years. On August 31, 1943, Sally married Emil Kiolbasa at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Paxton. The couple made their home on a farm west of Grant, where they farmed and raised their four children. Sally was a devout Catholic and a longtime parishioner of Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church in Grant. She taught catechism for more than twenty years and cleaned the church for many of those years. Sally was preceded in death by her husband, Emil; daughter, Sandra Lee; son and daughter-in-law, James "Jim" (Carol); and a son-in-law, Walter Sapp Jr. Her siblings, Jim and Norbert Sabata, also preceded her in death. Survivors include her children, Bob (Brenda) Kiolbasa of Grant, Nancy Sapp of Harvard; grandchildren, Anne, Theresa, Emily (David), Allison, Michael (Carmen), and Barbara (Jesse); three great-grandsons, Robert, Nathan, and Harvey; along with other relatives and friends. A memorial has been established in her memory. Condolences may be shared at bullocklongfuneralhome.com. Funeral Mass will be on Friday, April 22, 2022, at 10:30 am at Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church in Grant, with Fr. Thomas Bush as Celebrant. The Rosary will be recited at 10:00 am on Friday at the church. Inurnment will be in the Grant Fairview Cemetery. Bullock-Long Funeral Home of Grant is in charge of arrangements.