Obituary: Aubrey Holleran 1925-2018

Aubrey Holleran

Aubrey Holleran

Aubrey Holleran was born on Jan. 20, 1925, in Chicago, Illinois, to John T. and Gertrude (Kissel) Holleran, and died Sept. 28, 2018, in Bothell, Washington.

The Irish/German Catholic family consisted of six other children: John, Marie, Robert, Patsy, Rita and Richard. Family was important to the Hollerans, with many family events occurring at the home on Kilpatrick Avenue . . . this focus on family carried through his entire life.

Aubrey attended St. Edwards Catholic Grade School and Schurz High School, where he developed a love for history - claiming that if it hadn’t been for that subject, he’d never have made it through high school!

WWII started when Aubrey was in high school. He was drafted, but then rejected due to one leg being shorter than the other.

He was later accepted back into the draft and joined the Navy. He was trained as an aviation mechanic and tail gunner, doing a stint as a member of the Shore Patrol in Norfolk when WWII ended.

He started his working career at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago. It was there that he met Darlene, the love of his life, and was married by a Justice of the Peace on Nov. 21, 1955.

Forty-five years later, on April 12, 2000, they were married again, receiving the Holy Sacrament of Matrimony at St. Francis Cabrini Catholic Church in Camp Verde, Arizona.

Aubrey worked his way up the business ladder in the Conrad Hilton Corporation, successful not only because of his accounting skills but also because of his people skills.

In the early ‘70s he left Chicago when he was transferred to the Las Vegas Hilton.

There, he and Darlene enjoyed a whole new way of life: boating on Lake Mead, off-the-road exploration of the desert, camping, basking in the beauty of the West.

From there he was transferred to Reseda, California, and promoted to Comptroller of the whole western region (covering the West Coast Hiltons as well as those in Hawaii and Alaska).

After working for Hilton for 45 years, he retired and settled in Lake Montezuma, Arizona. That small community’s main attraction was the golf course. It was there that he made full use of the Hilton’s retirement gift to him: a golf cart! They led a very active retired life: volunteer work for St. Francis Cabrini Catholic Church, golfing and partying with various golf groups, traveling all over the country in their motorhome to visit family, friends and to check out different golf courses.

This active lifestyle drew to a close as Darlene’s health deteriorated and he became her caregiver. After her death in 2014, Aubrey moved to Bothell, Washington, enjoying living close to family, watching Sunday Seahawk football games, eating Zeek’s pepperoni pizza every Friday night, and participating in church services at St. Brendan’s. He lived in the Woodland Terrace Senior Community until just a few months before his death.

Aubrey is survived by his sisters, Marie Stalcup and Rita Jensen of Illinois; his brother, Richard of Arizona; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

In addition, he is survived by his stepsons, Larry Ferreri (Anneliese) of Bothell, Washington, and Charlie Ferreri (Sandy) of New Berlin, Wisconsin; granddaughters, Valerie (Garry), Erika, Lisa; and four great-grandchildren Anfernee, Nathan, Jayden, Gavin and Avery.

Aubrey was a man of Faith, having a rich prayer life as well as a caring heart for family and friends. He was a gentleman, a kind individual who was concerned about the well-being of others.

He had a jovial nature, joking freely with everyone . . . and, of course, there was that magical twinkle in his eyes that delighted anyone who noticed it.

The funeral Mass will be at St. Brendan’s Catholic Church in Bothell, Washington, on Friday, Oct. 5, 2018. His remains will be interned at All Souls Cemetery in Cottonwood, Arizona, at a later date.

Information provided by survivors.


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