Christine "Chris" Kubale

Christine “Chris” Bright Kubale died peacefully at her home in the early hours of October 22, 2026, at the age of 97. Her son, Travis Kubale, and her daughter, Jane Kubale Rutherford, were at her side.

Chris was born in Danville, Kentucky, on April 28, 1929, to Katherine Letcher Bright and Robert Harding Bright, Sr. She attended Sayre School in Lexington, and graduated from Danville High School, Centre College, and the University of Kentucky Graduate School of Social Work. In 1950, she married Rube Kubale, whom she had known all her life. They spent their life together on the Bright and Kubale family farms in Danville. Chris began her career in mental health services at Kentucky State Hospital and the Comprehensive Care Center. She then teamed up with Lucky Collins and Kathy Miles to open a private practice in Danville. Touching the lives of many over nearly three decades, these three pioneering women brought needed counseling services to members of the community, meeting people where they were and walking their journeys with them.

Stemming from her work at Collins, Kubale, and Miles, Chris became passionately committed to women’s justice and developed a strong voice in that space. She was considered one of the “founding mothers” of the Kentucky Domestic Violence Association (KDVA), a coalition of Kentucky’s 15 domestic violence shelters (currently known as Zero V). Working alongside trailblazers in this area for nearly 30 years, she contributed to several significant milestones: creating the state-wide victim service standards; creating certification programs and ongoing training for all shelter staff;
creating and administering a peer-review system to help programs accomplish their goals; and bringing her lifelong love of music into the shelters by adapting an innovative children’s music program for use in facilities around the state. She was a mentor to many, emphasizing self-care and mutual support, and infused her work and relationships with a bold, playful, and wise spirit.

These characteristics enlivened Chris’s personal life as well. Surrounded throughout her long life by family and dear friends near and far, Chris was a true extrovert, nourished by her relationships and relishing ever-unfolding adventures. She was well-known for her love of a good card game of “Spite and Malice,” storytelling, and strong political beliefs. She served on the boards of many civic organizations, loved the arts, and loved to travel.

Chris’s children, four grandchildren, all spouses, and her five great-grandchildren (and a sixth on the way) were a source of great joy to her, each in their own unique way. They recall how she made every one of them feel like they “were the only person in the room.” From the oldest to the youngest, she built enduring and loving memories with them of her delightful laughter, kindness and wisdom, and her bold, altruistic and optimistic approach to life. Sitting on the piano bench with her is a special memory for each one of them as she joyfully played everything from “Pop Goes the Weasel” to “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning.” Driving up Chris’s driveway for every visit, all family members recall how she would burst through the back door and greet them with a songlike and enthusiastic, “Hellooooo!”

As a lifelong resident of Danville, Chris loved her community and its people. She felt this love reciprocated by her many cherished friends, too numerous to list; nieces and nephews; longtime devoted companions, Barbara Jewell and Kathy Carney; trusted caregiver, Monica Ball; and at the end, Heritage Hospice. Chris is preceded in death by her husband, Rube T. Kubale, and her son-in-law, Richard W. Rutherford.

She is survived by her two children, Travis L. Kubale (Margaret) of Cincinnati, her daughter, Jane Kubale Rutherford of Washington, DC; four grandchildren, Emily Barczak (Mathew) of Baltimore, MD, Theo Rutherford (Chloe Fedyna) of Washington, DC, Kate Epling of Dayton, OH, and John T. Kubale (Elizabeth Hofer) of Ypsilanti, MI; and five great-grandchildren.

The memorial service will be 2 p.m. on Saturday, December 12, 2026, at the Presbyterian Church, 500 West Main Street, Danville. Following the service, the family will receive friends at a reception in the Fellowship Hall.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial gifts to Greenhouse 17, Heritage Hospice, and the Presbyterian Church.