Eugene ‘Gene’ Edwards Aubry
Eugene “Gene” Edwards Aubry, 87, of Palmetto and formerly of Anna Maria, died Dec. 9.
He was born Nov. 15, 1935 in Galveston, Texas.
He graduated Ball High School in Galveston, then from the University of Houston School of Architecture. He was a member of the American Institute of Architects and was elected to its College of Fellows.
He was a much-acclaimed architect in Houston, where many of his projects fill the skyline and architectural journals refer to him as “the man who rebuilt Houston.”
He was a named partner in the fifth largest architectural firm in the country, Morris Aubry Architects.
Locally he designed the Selby Library in Sarasota and the Philharmonic Center for the Arts in Naples. His hotel credits include the Windsor Court in New Orleans and the St. Regis Aspen.
He was elected to serve a term on the Anna Maria City Commission in 2011 when another commissioner was recalled from office and was appointed to fill a vacancy on the commission in 2012. He also served on the city planning and zoning board and several city committees.
He was a musician who cherished playing guitar and entertaining patrons at local restaurants on Anna Maria Island. And he was an artist, who used simple, fine lines and subtle colors to capture moments in time as no photograph can.
He was a mentor and a teacher, volunteering to share his passion for architecture with students.
He was a published author who took great pride in a book of his drawings of older homes in Galveston, “Born on the Island, The Galveston We Remember,” published in 2012 by Texas A&M Press and commissioned to raise funds for the Galveston Historical Foundation.
A private family service is planned. Memorial donations may be made to the Galveston Historical Society, 2002 Strand, Galveston, TX 77550, or by emailing foundation@galvestonhistory.org.
Mr. Aubry is survived by his life partner, Sandy Rich; daughters Adrian Villanueva and Christian Parsons, both of Houston; brother Don of Aransas Pass, Texas; former wife Janet of Gainesville; step-daughters Suzanne Barlow of Land O’Lakes, Katharine Wight of Fort Collins, Colorado; and grandchildren Eisley Wight, Tristan, Wyatt, and Ryder Barlow, Cathy Pickavance, Hunter Shelton, Alice and Charles Gray, and Aubry Villanueva.
Jeanne Bigelow Auten
Jeanne Bigelow Auten of Bradenton died Dec. 5.
She was a gift to her family and friends, but her gift to all was a beautiful smile and infectious laugh.
There will be no service. She will rest in peace next to the only man she ever loved, late husband Frederick, in Cass City, Michigan.
Mrs. Auten is survived by daughter Mardi Coury and husband C.J. of Holmes Beach; sons Andrew and wife Nancy of Hawthorne, Florida, and Charles and wife Julie of Mineral Bluff, Georgia; granddaughters Melissa Coury Befera and husband Joe and Tiffany Portia Coury and husband Brett of Carson City, Nevada; great-grandson Chase Jordan; and great-granddaughter Madison Blair of Lakewood Ranch.
Dave ‘Watchdog’ Miner
Dave “Watchdog” Miner, 77, of Bradenton, died Nov. 17.
He was born David Wilman Miner May 13,1946, in St. Petersburg to James Sr., and Ivalita Glasscock Miner.
He spent his youth in Owosso, Michigan, where his mother made sure that he and older brother Jim were well-educated in all areas of academia and had a first-hand look at the world through their travels.
Following the footsteps of his father and brother, he graduated from Amherst College in 1970, where he was a member of the cross country and track teams. He also wrote for the school newspaper, taught Sunday School, tutored inner-city kids, and represented Amherst at the Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference.
He enlisted in the United States Marines Corps after his sophomore year at Amherst and served two years, including a tour in Vietnam.
After his service, he returned to Amherst College to finish his degree, and a law degree in the spring of 1974from the University of Detroit School of Law.
While in law school, he spent two years as the only student on the law school admissions committee where he worked to increase the number of African-American law students and was presented the “Distinguished Service” award by the Black American Law Students Association for his efforts.
After law school, he began working for his dad, and later worked as an assistant city attorney, an assistant county attorney, a prosecutor and eventually had his own private law practice in Florida for more than 25 years.
He married Marsha Krause and adopted her 8-month-old, Sarah. A few years later their son was born.
He felt great pride in his children and would speak highly of them and their accomplishments. He loved taking them on trips to various parts of the country, always with a video recorder on his shoulder. He strived to show his kids the value of diversity and inclusion, either through first-hand experiences or through his numerous philanthropies.
While watching his children find their way through the Manatee County schools, he began to find faults with the system and as a self-proclaimed “Watchdog,” he used unconventional methods to get the attention of the school board and votes. (Anyone remember the chainsaw incident?)
Mr. Miner was elected to the school board in 2012 and reelected in 2016 where he worked tirelessly for eight years.
He believed in the power of his roadside campaign signs, “Vote for Watchdog.” He plastered the county with “Vote Yes” signs to pass the mileage vote. “Vote Yes” to save the bus drivers, “Vote Yes” to save our teachers; “Vote Yes” to save our schools.
The public affirmed his efforts and the school district was able to pay the teachers to stay. When the school district wanted to sell McKelvey Park on Manatee Avenue to developers for a strip mall he pulled out his signs to “Save the Park.”
If you knew him, you knew him to be outspoken, loyal and stubborn. With his dry sense of humor and inappropriate jokes as his specialty, he not only saved the park, but he also made his mark.
Mr. Miner was a community guy who supported philanthropic involvement — too many to list here.
He believed in the importance of giving of ourselves, our time, our dollars, and our love to those in need. He was a lifelong member of the American Legion, VFW, DAV, and Kiwanis Club. He never failed to send a bit of money to anyone and everyone who asked.
He was a leader in establishing Manatee’s first Child Abuse Prevention Program and creating METV. He was chairman of the Central Florida Public School Boards Coalition, past president of Kiwanis Club of Anna Maria Island, past president of Manatee Children Services, director of the Florida Coalition for Assessment Reform and director of the Florida School Board Association. He was an avid supporter of the NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
He was well-known in Manatee County for his passionate devotion to the betterment of his community. If you were one of the over 500 friends to receive a hand-delivered box of chocolate-covered cherries at Christmas, you knew he loved you and counted on you to help make Bradenton a wonderful place to raise your children.
Long ago, he would start his warm-up for a 5-mile run with a Twinkie and a smoke, before he quit smoking, and he continued to walk a few miles every day as he grew older. He also had a very dry and strange sense of humor, the kind of humor reserved for those with equally high IQs. Either you got the joke or were the center of it.
And he loved the movies – he would cry his heart out at the sadness and embrace the moments of patriotism, bravery, or just simple living. He also loved his dogs. They were his best friends and put up with his foolery. During his last years, he was rarely seen without “Luca” at his side. He took Luca to the bank, grocery store, you name it – he had his dog by his side. Thanks to the kindness of the community and the love they had for Dave, Luca was rarely asked to leave.
A memorial service will be held starting at 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 5 at Griffith-Cline Funeral Home, 720 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton. Memorial donations may be made to the Bradenton Kiwanis Club, the Center in Orlando, or Bishop Animal Shelter in Bradenton.
Mr. Miner is survived by his daughter, Sarah and husband Steve Cureton; son Joseph; granddaughter Jacquelyn, and nieces Jan and husband Robert Woods and Rebecca and husband Todd Schmidt.
Connor Patrick Johnson
Connor Patrick Johnson, 22, of Gillett, Wisconsin, and formerly of Anna Maria, died Nov. 25.
He was born Jan. 6, 2001, to Matthew Johnson and Heather Whitaker in Manatee County. He attended Anna Maria Elementary, King Middle and Manatee High schools.
He moved to Wisconsin in 2022.
He was a devoted father to his daughter, Chloe. He loved spending time with her and planning their adventures.
He also enjoyed the outdoors and all it had to offer. He had developed a great appreciation for fishing and hunting.
Connor also had a deep love for animals, including his pet chickens and cat.
He also was a true “car guy,” who loved buying, fixing and selling cars and racing at the local drag strip.
A memorial gathering was held Dec. 2 in Wisconsin and a Florida gathering will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, at the Anna Maria General Store, 503 Pine Ave., Anna Maria. Gruetzmacher Funeral Home in Suring, Wisconsin, is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences can be expressed at gruetzmacherfuneralhome.com.
Mr. Johnson is survived by Chloe; her mother, Tia Klein; father Matthew and significant other Molly; mother Heather; brother Cody and significant other Hannah; half-siblings, Kylie, Layla, Summer and Mason; grandparents, Alan and wife Sue, Theresa Musco; great-grand mother Dorothy Johnson; aunts and uncles Lisa and husband Michael Cronan, Monica and husband James Quinn, Angela and Jerome Musco and many relatives and friends.
Meet ‘everyman,’ Islander of the Year 2013
He came to Anna Maria Island with talent. How he uses it makes him exceptional. He is a career architect, musician, artist and he readily gives his talents for the good of others. He stepped up to serve his city in a time of extreme crisis. He gives his talents readily and reaps little reward beyond self-satisfaction.
He sees the importance of where we are, whether it’s the landscape or the place in time, and has a keen intuition for where we go and how we get there. He sees our potential.
He’s the future. He relishes our past.
He has 20-20 insight and a crystal ball view of the future.
He’s a neighbor. Volunteer. Giver.
He’s everyman.
He’s Gene Aubry.
He’s also a renaissance man.
He’s empowered with seemingly limitless knowledge, embracing the sort of great thinking that we so seldom see, so much so that less accomplished people often fail to recognize his significance.
It’s not his job, it’s his life.
If you haven’t seen or heard him play guitar, you may not recognize his range of talent. If you don’t know of his many architectural achievements, you might doubt this quiet man had reached such heights. If you don’t know of his art — the simple, fine lines and subtle colors that capture moments in time like no photograph could — you may not appreciate his refined taste.
He often volunteers his talents. He plays guitar at various venues, most often Beach Bistro — on his own schedule. He blends seamlessly into dinner conversations, adding to the ambiance with his enjoyment, and he never accepts tips or a fee.
He draws instinctively, perfecting perception on paper, putting what he sees — reality — combined with his passion into scale.
He came forward to put his name on the ballot when the city was polarized by ideas from a man named Harry, and he narrowly won election to the Anna Maria City Commission.
He served by offering solutions. He was pragmatic, practical and philosophical in his service to the city. And he put his ideas to work by putting them on paper, demonstrating how improvements don’t have to mean great changes for the less visionary of his contemporaries.
Unfortunately, putting ideas to work can be frustrating when the people are scared of what the future may bring. May bring? It’s only certain that people want improvements but fear change.
Counted among his lasting architectural visions are the Selby Public Library in downtown Sarasota, the Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts, private residences, schools and museums. His hotel credits include the posh Windsor Court in New Orleans and the Ritz-Carlton in Aspen.
Many projects fill the skyline in Houston where he once had an office, and architectural journals refer to him as “the man who rebuilt Houston.”
He may no longer serve Anna Maria on the commission, but he isn’t giving up on this place he loves. Surrender is not in his character.
Aubry holds the course.
He still has vision, hope and a gift to give…
For these reasons, he is our choice for Islander of the Year. — Publisher Bonner Joy
