It was always an amazing experience to worship alongside Chris on the worship team. When he played drums, you could visibly see how strong his faith was in his worship. It was encouraging and humbling to see how much he loved the Lord when he played. I will miss him.
Shannon Marcou
Springbrook Community Church Worship Team
Yesterday, I lost my best friend, Christopher Kubacki to cancer. To say that I am profoundly saddened by his passing would be an understatement. My prayers and deepest condolences go out to his wife, Karin, and his son, Max. May they find comfort in the Lord, family, friends and the good memories they share.
I first met Chris in July, 2015, while I was going through the WWII Airborne Demonstration Team’s Parachute School. From that point on, our friendship grew quickly, developing into a special bond, one I will always cherish.
Chris was genuine. He loved life, had a deep love for his family and an unwavering faith in the Lord. I admired him for that. His dedication and devotion to the WWII ADT as a team member and as its Operations Officer was readily apparent and unquestionable. His enthusiasm was infectious. He served as an inspiration to the rest of us.
It was an honor and privilege knowing you, Chris. I loved you like a brother and will miss you more than words can say. I wish you Godspeed, blue skies and soft landings. Keep your “knees in the breeze” my good buddy and don’t forget to save me the bunk next to you.
Gene Krupa
WWII Airborne Demonstration Team
Today marks another significant loss for this year. After an arduous battle, my good friend and classmate (Jump School 2015-1) Christopher Kubacki is at peace tonight. My heart and prayers go out to his wife and son.
Chris was an incredible man. Dedicated to his faith and family, he gave his time to not only support the mission of the WWII Airborne Demonstration Team, but to serve as our Operations Officer. That is, without a doubt, one of the most demanding roles in our organization. Chris had a passion for military history. That passion was mirrored in his support of his friends. His smile and cheerful demeanor (even while fighting his illness) will be greatly missed by us all.
I know that he is at peace now, and waiting for the rest of us on the final DZ.
Well done Brother … AATW!
Ken Larsen
WWII Airborne Demonstration Team
So, I’d be standing in the sanctuary at church, and I’d see Chris walking toward me, a glint in his eye and a smirk on his face, and I knew he was about to regal me with some smart remark that would crack me up, or at least put a big grin on my face. That is just the way he was. Always the wise guy.
Chris loved the Lord, and it showed. He never had a bad word for anyone and was ready to discuss scripture at the drop of a hat. You could always depend on him to have good advice, Christian and otherwise, no matter the topic. He was highly intelligent and could converse on just about anything. The only time I would see him get irritated is when we would change worship songs and have to waste time relearning them. He put in a lot of time learning how to play the songs correctly and expected the same from everybody else. He was definitely a perfectionist in everything he did.
Some of my fondest memories of him are playing worship songs at some of the lake baptisms, and of course, sitting around in the Green Room and discussing anything and everything with him. He would never put anyone down or say anything derisive about anyone, but he always had intelligent input to any conversation.
I so look forward to the time when I will see Chris in heaven again. I am sure he’ll walk up with a glint in his eye, and a smirk on his face
Michael Markschat
Springbrook Community Church Worship Team
Cancer took another amazing person today. My friend Christopher Kubacki, who fought so hard to beat it, lost his battle today. When I joined the WWII Airborne Demonstration Team, I experienced a few issues completing the training. Chris was always very supportive and motivated me to be better. His coaching and motivational talks while we relaxed in the smoking pit will never be forgotten. When I earned my jump wings I asked Chris to ensure my wings were properly positioned! I will never forget Chris and what he meant to me and our organization. He will be greatly missed.
Jon Starling
WWII Airborne Demonstration Team
Chris, I have been greatly saddened to learn of your passing. You were always a smiling face with a can do attitude and a joke at the ready, even during your darkest times, you were an inspiration to us all.
Zachary Spires
WWII Reenactor
The thing I loved most about Chris was his thoughtfulness. I always felt when speaking with him that he really took the time to understand. To see all points of view and make a right judgement. Chris always salted conversation with witty commentary. I loved having conversations with him for those reasons.
Chris had a big heart and loved people well. He was always willing to lend a hand and handy he was. Chris was an amazing woodworker and his home is full of his handiwork. I loved learning from him.
Chris was passionate about his relationship with God. He was a constant fixture at church and it was a joy to lead with him. He was passionate about drumming and played more weeks than I could count over the course of our time together. I’m thankful to have had Chris in my life for the time that I did.
I will miss our conversations and look forward to picking them back up when we meet again in heaven. See you soon friend.
Gary Witthoeft
Springbrook Community Church Worship Director
Love you man. It has been a pleasure serving with you these many years. You have devoted so much of your time to serving. You have blessed many with your talents. You have inspired me to be a better evangelist and to serve more. We will be worshipping again together someday. You have an amazing wife and son who will make you proud and do great things for the Lord. “I’m trading my sickness for the joy of the Lord”.
Dan Deacon
Springbrook Community Church Worship Team
Christopher Kubacki, you were a brother, a friend, mentor, a fellow officer in the Federal Army and so many more things.
You will be greatly missed and I will always cherish the times we had at events, whether on the battlefield, drilling, at night around the campfire with a beer in hand.
The field desk I got from you will always be my reminder of our friendship and brotherhood.
Godspeed my friend, until we meet again on the old camp ground.
Chris Mantas sent the following quote out in an email and I am going to share it as it fits this occasion perfectly:
“Tell your friend that in his death, a part of you dies and goes with him. Wherever he goes, you also go. He will not be alone.”
Jiddu Krishnamurti, Philosopher
Eric Percy
Civil War and WWII Reenactor
Yesterday I lost my friend and teammate from from the WWII Airborne Demonstration Team, Christopher Kubacki from cancer. A battle he fought for some time so bravely.
This is a huge loss for our team as he was one of our Dearest Members. My heart aches for his loving wife, Karin and his son Max during this time.
He will forever be in my heart and memory and I am so lucky to have known and jumped with this fine man.
Chris, save a place for me when you’re writing up the manifest. I’ll see you on the Drop Zone. Soft landings, jumper. AATW
Kat Healey
WWII Airborne Demonstration Team
I cannot remember the first time that I met Chris, just that it had to have been more than 25 years ago now. He was 23 if I recall, give or take a year or so, and I was in my mid 40’s. It didn’t take me long to see that he was much more mature than was typical for his age, and that he was very intelligent. He had a keen intellect, and his knowledge of history led to many long, fun, and interesting conversations around the campfire. He was something rare – a natural leader, suited to the command positions he held, yet still able to accept advice and criticism without being offended or letting ego get in the way.
Together, Chris, my son Joe, and I went to 4 major national events – Atlanta twice, Gettysburg in 98, and Shiloh in 09. I remember all of them as being great events, full of conversation and comradery, but it was at one of the smaller regional events that I was left with a truly lasting impression.
One year in Jackson Michigan, we’d arrived to find that Joe, Chris, and I were the only members of the 9th Indiana able to make it to the event. We were lumped in with the 7th Michigan Engineers – a unit that had a captain, but no secondary officers. The three of us immediately fell into the roles. The unit had very little experience under their belt and even the captain was unfamiliar with the commands and maneuvers.
With Chris acting as a guide, and Joe and I filling the Corporal and 1st Sergeant roles, we spent the first day training the unit and by the end of the event our company was one of the best on the field – quite an accomplishment for a group of people that had never even met before that weekend. The captain and the rest of the 7th thanked us, and from that event onward whenever we crossed paths at future outings, our units would get together and have a great time.
Chris was a good man by nature, and he brought out the best in the people around him. His impact and influence has carried on down through the ranks of not just the 9th Indiana but many other units and organizations. The world would be better served if more people followed his lead. To me, he was a knowledgeable historian, a skilled craftsman, and a good friend. I will always remember him, and whenever I’m around a campfire, there will certainly always be a Chris story to tell.
Bill Schroeter
Civil War Reenactor
Chris truly left us an inspired and spiritual legacy – memories that fill our minds and warm our hearts. Our dear Lord has gained a wonderful man, and your loving marriage lives on in your heart forever.
Maryellen Mackey
Springbrook Community Church
Chris was a dedicated reenactor, an expert in history, and a technical resource. When he was my first sergeant in the 9th Indiana, we were a great team.
Michael Fettinger
Civil War Reenactor
Chris was one of the most faithful men I met at Springbrook Community Church. During the 15 years we were at Springbrook, Chris was a faithful servant on the worship team, and in the men’s small group ministry among many other areas. What stands out beyond that was his faithfulness to his family and courage in suffering through cancer with amazing courage. We will see you soon in heaven, Chris!
Dick Schmidt
Spiritual Mentor and Small Group Leader
Chris was both dedicated and proficient in all he did for our team, whether it was publishing Operation Orders, assigning bunks, compiling manifests, or building a needed carpentry project with his good buddy, Gene Krupa. He was always kind and helpful, and no matter what he was going through medically, he never ever complained and always had a positive attitude. I so admired his character and fortitude that I would often reach out to him to tell him so, as I’m sure many others did.
I will miss our conversations, his sense of humor, his ready smile, and collaborating with him on team business. I can see him now in the mess hall, quietly figuring out the manifests; I don’t think I’ll be able to look at a pencil again without thinking of him.
Gina Lee
WWII Airborne Demonstration Team
Found out yesterday afternoon that we lost another good one to cancer, Chris Kubacki. A reenactor of many eras, he was always good for an encouraging word and a smile. He would travel up to ND yearly and jump out of WWII planes dressed in WWII gear using WWII style parachutes at low altitudes, not like the high altitude jumps we see around here. He was always trying to convince me to join him to take pics and to jump with him. One of the last times we talked we made a pact about him kicking this cancer and I’d go with him and jump. You would never know he was sick, such was his attitude and continued involvement these past few years.
We’ll keep you in our thoughts, Chris, your family in our prayers and we’ll try to lead our lives with that same positive attitude that you displayed even when life got rough. Miss you and love you!!!!!
Tom George Davison
WWII Reenactor
There are people you cross paths with in life that no matter how brief, you KNOW they are someone special. Chris Kubacki was one of those people.
I joined the team as a Tier 3 trooper with Matt McManus at the World War Two Airborne Demonstration Team, Summer Jump School 2018. Chris was our primary instructor. I’ve served now over 32-years in the Army and Matt is also a seasoned Trooper. I not only learned more from Chris in that week than I learned from the Army Airborne School, but beyond the technical expertise Chris shared, I learned the character, the passion, the leadership, the gentleman that he was.
I have served with some spectacular leaders and soldiers in the Army. Without question Chris is equal to and surpasses many…a one of a kind. I only wish I had more time with him, and a photo, but the photos in my mind of his smile, grace, laughter, and positive spirit are always with me. Rest in Peace Sir, and peace to you your family, and your friends.
Niels Hansen
WWII Airborne Demonstration Team
Today our team is mourning the loss but giving thanks for a man whose life bettered us all, Christopher “Chris” D. Kubacki—friend, brother, teammate. Chris departed this life yesterday after a tenacious fight against cancer—a fight which he would want us all to take a message from.
“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.” If you know that verse by Theodore Roosevelt, it may as well have been written about Chris. Chris was never the critic, never the man who pointed out how the strong man stumbles. Instead, he was the man who always strove valiantly, who knew great enthusiasms, who “spent himself in worthy causes” and who knew the “triumph of high achievement.” Chris was a fighter in the noblest sense.
One of Chris’s proudest achievements was his 100th jump, which is no small feat. This past October we were honored to see Chris make that jump and be pinned in recognition for it by WWII D-Day Airborne Veteran Norwood Thomas.
Chris at the time knew the battle with cancer that was ahead of him. He had already experienced cancer once before. But it was just like Chris to achieve his goals in the order that HE was determined to meet them, not in the order that circumstances might dictate. Tenacity was Chris’s middle name.
Chris displayed that tenacity quietly. He was about results, not bravado. And some of that likely came from his Indiana upbringing. Chris lived in Chicago, but he was an Indiana “Hoosier” through and through. True to stereotypes that Indianans are proud of, Chris was acutely honest in a way that never offended. He had a work ethic that was as old-school-pioneer as it gets. And, he had an amiability about him that everyone knew was genuine.
On our team we sometimes joke with each other about the different areas we all come from. Chris was quick to remind a few of us that Indiana was not a big corn field, not a flyover state, and it boasted a great university, his alma mater, Indiana U. “Go Hoosiers!”
Pioneer work ethic is a term we don’t see often these days. But if you were to have spent any time with Chris, you would have learned the meaning—and found yourself quickly exhausted in the process. Even walking with Chris across our hangar floor, it was hard to keep up with him. A typical day at our facility starts with completing our jumps and then packing our parachutes. But then it goes on to all variety of projects that go to improving and upgrading our facility. Chris would lead by example, diving into anything that needed to get done, especially if it involved Chris’s forte, woodwork.
Like his Lord and Savior, Chris was a carpenter and a craftsman. And, Chris did exceptional work. He made his living as a cabinet maker. Woodwork gave Chris an opportunity to create, to think, and, we’re sure, to connect with the God in whom Chris placed all faith and trust. Chris’s wood shop was his sanctuary. Chris had a carpenter’s eye for precision, and we saw that in everything he built at our facility.
A carpenter’s mindset is “measure twice, cut once.” Chris was our team’s Operations Officer, and “measure twice, cut once” is how he approached the job. When all his facilities work was done for the day, Chris would work often until midnight creating the jump manifests for the next day. Jump manifests are the assigned order in which jumpers will exit the aircraft during a jump. Chris had a keen eye for placing people in the right spot based on their experience level, skill set, and strengths as a jumper. He made sure every “stick” or column of jumpers going out the door was balanced and set up for success.
Occasionally, some of us would ask for a change in the stick order or ask for the coveted position standing in the door. Chris would stare the offender in the eye, grimace, and drop his clipboard to his side, his body language saying “Really?” But then he would smile and say, “I’ll see what I can do.” And, he always tried to help.
We’re going to miss Chris’s smile. We’re going to miss everything about Chris. We’d settle for the grimace he would give us. Chris loved our team, and we loved him. Like many of us, Chris found in our team an extended family. In Chris, we all found the kind of true kin that makes family a family.
Yesterday afternoon Chris made his final jump. Chris would have appreciated us saying it that way. He had a passion for jumping and being under canopy. Chris departed peacefully in the presence of his family and without pain.
Chris’s fight was a valiant one, a fight that extended over three years and which included surgery, treatment, and the ups and downs of remission. This past Saturday, Chris chose to end treatment in favor of knowing that he was still in control and not letting circumstances control him.
We are sharing those details because Chris was about giving to others. He never put himself first. He would be ashamed of us if we did not say to everyone reading, take precautions and get screened. Do it!
“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.”
Chris, we the arena should be named after you! You raised the bar. And, your life enriched us all. We will forever hold you dear in our hearts. And, when we are challenged to enter our own arenas in life, we pledge to remember your fine example and carry it out thinking of you.
Chris leaves behind his wife Karin Kubacki, his son Max, his many friends, his church congregation, and all his brothers and sisters on our team.
With love and respect, for Christopher Kubacki (March 1, 1970 – August 5, 2020)
Andrew Kristopik
WWII Airborne Demonstration Team
Chris always told great stories, particularly of his reenactment adventures. The one that sticks out to me the most was a story he told with glee of how his reenactment troop had mock battle with actual army troops in training. The army recruits were quickly taken out by savvy re-enactors who used a guerrilla warfare style approach. Chris loved that a bunch of re-enactors, all older than recruits, won the battle so quickly.
P.B.
Family Friend
Note from Chris’ wife:
This was one of my favorite stories. Chris and some of the other guys in his WWII Reenacting Unit were invited to be aggressors and villagers in a training weekend for the local ROTC. Some of the soldiers were 18 years old and on their very first scenario. Others were just weeks from receiving their commission and going to Afghanistan. I guess the colonel had fairly low expectations of a bunch of reenactors and they soon used their knowledge of strategies and tactics to run rings around the recruits, even startling the officers from time to time who didn’t see them until they nearly stepped on them. At the end of the day, the soldiers acknowledged that they had really learned a lot and the colonel was hoping to have the reenactors back for another ROTC training weekend.
My Dear Brother Chris,
Thank you for all you have done for our Company. You embodied the type of man and the manner of being an Officer that actualized the spirit of commitment, humor, respect, care and cooperation that drew us to you. Your natural gifts as a teacher opened our eyes, not only with your knowledge, but to your values and joy for life. You taught us acceptance, and the vision to see goodness, especially when milestones of our civilian life were painful.
Mark Dembski
Captain, 1st Michigan Engineers, Civil War Reenactors
Throughout life there are friends that would come and go, but Chris was always there over the last 30 years. We started reenacting at basically the same time. Civil War reenacting during the late ‘80’s and WW2 reenacting during the ‘90’s. We would bump into each all the time at events and struck up a friendship over the years.
Chris was passionate about the hobby, and about life itself. He would take on the role of a reenactor, research and learn the details that made a soldier back in 1862. He led many men during the events as an officer, showing true guidance and historical accuracy. His fellow re-enactors respected him.
At one point, Chris was leading hundreds of reenactors at events, showcasing his knowledge and attributes as a leader.
When he told me how he was joining a WWII US Paratrooper re-enacting unit and was going to actually jump out of a WW2 vintage aircraft, I truly believed he would do it. His passion for it grew to a zenith when, after meticulous training and practice jumps, he actually parachuted into Normandy, France on the 75 th anniversary of the D-Day invasion: the pinnacle of a history reenactor.
We would get together at events and surprisingly, we would talk about current events and what was going on in the world. Chris and I shared the same opinion on many topics, and I always knew at events that we would strike up a good conversation.
Chris will be sorely missed by all of us who cared about him and appreciated his commitment and dedication to his friends and family.
Chris Mantas
Civil War and WWII Reenactor
Remembering Chris 