In a former life, Dick Aubrey ran his own small business selling
and repairing antennas, and his wife Dottie taught high school. Now
retired, the couple sees Hollister not merely as part of their
address
– it’s their own private refuge from the noise and stress of the
outside world.
Hollister – In a former life, Dick Aubrey ran his own small business selling and repairing antennas, and his wife Dottie taught high school. Now retired, the couple sees Hollister not merely as part of their address – it’s their own private refuge from the noise and stress of the outside world.
“After 30-some years working in San Jose, we came to the Thousand Trails here in our RV in ’85,” said Mr. Aubrey. “And we were automatically introduced to the beauty of Hollister.”
In 1988, the Aubreys purchased a vacation home at Ridgemark, and in 1996 decided to move to Hollister. They never looked back.
“This is still a nice town,” said Mrs. Aubrey. “Although we don’t like seeing it grow so much. It would be nice if it just stayed this size.”
Born and raised in Sacramento, Mr. Aubrey quickly tired of high school trappings as a youth and set his sights on bigger things.
“I befriended a lot of Air Force guys,” he said, “and I thought ‘Boy! They really have it made.’ So I joined right after my 18th birthday, before I finished high school. I was a little disappointed, though. The service wasn’t exactly like I thought it would be.”
Once enlisted, Aubrey was sent to electronics school and taught to monitor aircraft. The electronics background enabled him to find work as an electrician before opening his own television repair business in the late 1970’s.
“How many TV repair shops do you see today?” he said. “Repairing tubes in a TV was very easy. Repairing modern TVs is a pain in the butt. Lots of guys just folded up, we went into the antenna business.”
It was then he met Dottie, a lively high school teacher who lived in the same apartment complex.
“We met in an elevator,” said Mrs. Aubrey. “It sounds crazy, and people laugh when we tell them, but it’s true. I married a man I met on an elevator.”
The two were wed in 1979.
“That right there is the defining moment in my life,” said Mr. Aubrey. “My wife is the smartest lady in the whole world, the greatest cook, and she’s a darn cutie pie, too.”
Soon after, the couple bought an RV, the beginning of a lifelong hobby.
When not on the road, the Aubreys enjoy their garden. Mr. Aubrey is a photography and genealogy enthusiast, and Mrs. Aubrey likes art, especially rock painting and crochet. The couple also devote a lot of time and love to their two dogs, Fluffy and Scamper.
“We just want to travel and enjoy our life and each other,” said Mrs. Aubrey.
