Aubrey Ward Downey, 88, a resident of Kenosha, Wisconsin died Saturday, August 29, 2009, at United Hospital. He was born June 11, 1921, at Pleasantville, Tennessee to parents, Elmer Reese Downey and Ada (Baker) Downey. In 1943 he came to Kenosha while serving in the United States Army as a medical corpsman stationed at Downey Veteran’s Hospital Facility. He was honorably discharged in May of 1946 after receiving the Victory Medal, the American Theater Ribbon and Good Conduct Medal. It was while working at the Veterans Hospital that he met Eleanora Batassa, his wife of 63 years. They were married on June 8, 1946, at the Kenosha County Courthouse. They were also married at St. Mark’s Catholic Church on October 8, 1988, and remarried on their 50th Wedding Anniversary in 1996 and again on their 60th Wedding Anniversary in 2006 at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was a devoted father to their three children, Kathleen (Kay), Marlene and Byron. Aubrey possessed a strong work ethic even as a teenager when he began working for his lifelong family friend, Brown Rochelle, driving a local school bus in Buffalo, Tennessee. Although he held various jobs during the early years, it was that love of driving which lead to his long-term career choice as a professional chauffeur. He was a proud cement truck driver being employed by Tews Lime and Cement Company (formerly Vulcan Materials) and quickly becoming their driver of choice when pouring curb and gutter because of his precision and expertise in controlling the material and maneuvering the chutes. After years of expertly handling manual equipment, he was the first driver chosen to be certified to operate the automated front end discharge truck. He was appointed the New Driver Trainer for the company and for many years held the responsibility for the instruction and training of any newly hired drivers. Over the course of his career, he was awarded multiple Safe Driver Awards by the National Safety Council as well as numerous Safe Driver Awards by the Vulcan Materials Company. He was awarded the Outstanding Service Award and the Best Equipment Care Award from Tews Lime & Cement for nine consecutive years, a reign ended only by his retirement in 1988. After retiring from Tews he began a new career with Securitas Security (formerly Pinkerton) and was assigned to Dairyland Greyhound Park where he remained employed until March of this year. When he wasn’t working Aubrey loved to tinker with cars and took pride in maintaining his beloved ‘fleet’ in like new condition. He enjoyed playing golf on a Sunday morning family league, and liked watching baseball in person or on TV. He was particularly fond of donkey baseball. He eagerly anticipated any time that he could spend in Tennessee visiting with family and friends seeing familiar places and vividly recalling all of the stories and happy memories of days gone by. He had a remarkable capacity to remember peoples’ names and faces and frequently surprised family and friends by the amount of detail in which he could remember past acquaintances, events and life stories. He was a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local #95, a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Chauffeurs Local #43 and a member of American Legion Post #2930. He is survived by his spouse, Eleanora, daughter, Marlene (Curtis) Waterstradt, son, Byron (Kathy) Downey, granddaughter, Heather (Brian) Schweitzer, grandsons, Jason (Kayla) Free, Skyler Waterstradt and Austin Downey, brothers, Tommy (Vernell) Downey and Bobby (Evelyn) Downey, sisters Gayla Ann Phillips, Myrna Joy (Gilbert) Jenkins, Wanda (Terry) Mathis and Patsy (Carly) Cook, three great-grandchildren, Jason, Jr., Mia and Chloe and a multitude of nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Elmer and Ada, a step-mother, Ellen (Gordon) Downey, a daughter, Kathleen (Kay) Free, his sisters, Grace (Robert) Holmes, Nell (Albert) Henry, Lela (James) Gordon, Melba Downey and Ruby (John) Barrett. Further preceded in death by brothers E.R. Downey, Jr., Franklin Delano Downey, Crane Downey and W.T. Meridith. Family and friends may call for visitation at Proko Funeral Home on Wednesday, September 2, 2009, from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. A Mass of Catholic Burial will be held at St. Mark Catholic Church on Thursday, September 3, 2009, at 10:00 AM. Interment immediately following mass will be at St. George Catholic Cemetery, Kenosha, Wisconsin.Proko Funeral Home & Crematory5111-60th StreetKenosha, WI 53144Phone: (262) 654-3533Visit Aubrey’s Online Memorial Book at:www.prokofuneralhome.com