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By JOYANNA LOVE | Managing Editor

Aubry Wallace of Maplesville served his community in a number of ways before health issues limited what he could do.

The former pastor, law enforcement officer and veteran passed away on Jan. 29 at the age of 87 after struggling with congestive heart failure and COPD. His son Kurt Wallace

said the last 18 months has seen a decline in his father’s health requiring multiple surgeries.

The funeral service for Aubry Wallace will be Feb. 1 at 11 a.m. at Ellison Memorial Funeral Home.

A native of Chiton County, Aubry Wallace served for 20 years in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean and Vietnam wars. He met his wife Shirley on his first duty assignment while stationed at Maxwell Air Force Base. During his time in the military, he served with fellow Chiton county resident Curtis Smith in Alaska and Bill Grover in Vietnam. During the Vietnam War, he was an aircraft load master, making sure everything packed on to the plane balanced out. Part of his duties also included transporting celebrities with the USO shows.

Kurt Wallace said his parents would have celebrated 70 years of marriage later in 2023.

Aubry Wallace became a bi-vocational pastor in the 1960s, serving four Baptists church in Chilton County, including Pleasant Grove #2, Mt. Pleasant, Bethany and Ebenezer.

He was in law enforcement for 15 years and a business owner in Maplesville.

“My daddy left me a good name,” Kurt Wallace said, talking about what he will remember most. “Wherever I went, people would say, ‘this is Kurt, Aubry’s son.’ I had a huge reputation to live up to from my dad. I don’t know anybody who didn’t like my dad.”

Kurt Wallace said his dad always told the truth, “and he didn’t always sugar coat it for you.”

Although he never became a pilot in the Air Force, Aubry Wallace completed his pilot’s license at the Chilton County Airport.

“He loved to camp, and he loved to fly,” Kurt Wallace said.