A new place to sit and remember a friendHistoric Downtown Millersburg conducts new bench dedication to honor memory of John Aubry

John Aubry held no job in Historic Downtown Millersburg, yet he performed a wide variety of odd jobs for many of the local downtown business people. Before his passing on March 10, Aubry could oftentimes be seen running errands around town, making bank deposits, getting coffee and meals and doing other jobs.Because of his joy to be around others, Aubry will always be remembered as a huge part of the Historic Downtown landscape.On Friday, July 8, many of the people Aubry dealt with on a daily basis gathered together to honor his memory, with a dedication of a new bench outside of Young’s Uniforms on West Jackson St.The recycled bench, a maintenance-free bench designed and built by Kirby of Wisconsin, will now serve as a reminder that, while Aubry may be gone physically, his spirit lives on in the memories of those who knew him.“John would be pleased,” said his brother, Father Ron Aubry. “He loved being around the people here. I truly appreciate everyone coming to participate in this.”Millersburg Mayor Jeff Huebner read a proclamation created by the Millersburg Council in March commending Aubry, and he said that “the recycled bench will probably outlast us all.”Huebner read the proclamation, which spoke about Aubry’s presence in the community, his Christian values and positive attitude. It also touched on his willingness to give for a friend and neighbor in need, and his willingness to go above and beyond what was expected of him. “Be it proclaimed that we shall forever remember John Aubry as an ambassador of goodwill and friend to many in our community,” read Huebner.Following a short ceremony on the sidewalk in front of Young’s Uniforms, where the bench now will provide a resting place for shoppers, the festivities moved inside, where people shared stories about the man who once helped Millersburg bring Wendy’s to the area.“He had an ornery side to him,” said Mary Miller of The Jewelry Store. “He came into our store one day and there was this woman trying to order a cat charm. He kept meowing and meowing, and I told him to be quiet. He kept going, and finally I asked him to leave. He got out to the steps, turned around and went, ‘meow.’ The next day he came in and said he was so sorry. I knew he was, and we laughed about it. Everyone liked John, because he was one-of-a-kind.”Brent Young, of Young’s Music & Sound, said that Aubry was always ready to lend a hand, whether it was running errands or cleaning something up. He reiterated something that came up with all of the business owners.“You always knew that you could trust John,” said Young. Phyllis Young said that Aubry wrote a small paper titled John’s Journal, one which he always said was the world’s greatest newspaper. He would type it out himself and hand out copies around town and to family members. She also talked about how much trust they could all put in Aubry to perform tasks around town, noting that he would wander up and down Main St., popping in at stores to see if there was any way he could help.Young related the story about how one day she had given Aubry an envelope of money to make a deposit for her. She said she waited for some time before Aubry finally came back.“Where were you John?” she asked him. His reply was that he was just out talking to people before he went to the bank. “I laughed and told him next time he better go take care of business first before he talks, or somebody might rob him,” said Young. “He just looked at me and laughed, and said, ‘Nobody is going to rob me.’”Ron Aubry said that he was glad that his brother had made such a positive impression on the people around him, and that he had gained independence.“I was glad to see he had his own life that I wasn’t exactly privy to,” said Aubry. “He seemed to have touched a number of people’s lives on a daily basis. I was really surprised at the number of people who came to his funeral. He definitely treasured his independence.”Phyllis Young added that a small amount of money still remains in the Aubry fund, and that they are seeking to have a wooden plaque engraved of Aubry from Star Laser.Donations to the John Aubry bench fund were received from several dozen local families and businesses.