by Walter Horylev
John O’Brien and wife, Suzanne, a remarkable couple who help other people.Ogden resident John O’Brien is a big man, literally and figuratively, a quiet person who is determined to help others by trying to help the Aurora House, a hospice located in Ogden. Normally, organizations do this sort of thing but John has chosen to go it alone but with the help of many others, including his wife, Suzanne. Wheelchair bound and on oxygen 24 hours a day, (he suffers from COPD, scleroderma and hammer toes), John is an imposing figure as he related efforts to raise money for the hospice by collecting pop cans and bottles for the deposit money and aluminum pull tabs to sell to a recycling center.
John last worked as a truck driver for Frontier Linen Supply for 12 years and retired in the late 1970s. He eventually moved to Wellington Woods in Brockport. Suzanne moved into that development about six years ago and became a neighbor; they married a year later. John, 78, and Suzanne, 77, now reside in a neat townhouse in Ogden, not far from Lugia’s Ice Cream. He drives a specially equipped van.
John transfers a load of aluminum pull tabs into a larger box.In spite of having lymphocitic leukemia, Suzanne helps John in his endeavers and they both volunteer at Lakeside Hospital in Brockport; they are there for four hours on Tuesday and on Friday.
About a year ago, John was sitting in the lobby of the hospital when he learned that the Kidney Foundation and Ronald McDonald House were no longer collecting pull tabs. He decided to step in and continue that work but for a different cause. He had been impressed with a tour of the Aurora House and thought the people had done a beautiful job with that building. He enlisted a number of people to help collect the items and he picks them up. Parma resident Elaine DeRue is one of his helpers, as is Miss Kenny, a teacher at the Hilton High School; Martin Molinari, Churchville Lions Club, is another; he has two collection bins in Spencerport and Brockport and 14 buckets in Churchville. When he accumulates a sizeable amount, (he stores the scrap metal at the Ogden Baptist Church), John sells them to a local recycler, Metalico Rochester, Inc., but only when the price is reasonable. He is hoping that the current price increases substantially.
So far he has made three donations of money, $65, $165 and $95 to the Aurora House. With a sense of pride, John stated: “I am now a part of the Aurora House volunteer organization.”
He continued: “My understanding is that the Aurora House exists on donations alone; I thought it was a good cause and I’d go there eventually if I needed it.” Suzanne interjected: “We thank the people of Spencerport and Brockport and others for their help in this project.”
“I’d appreciate the people saving pull tabs and cans; I’d like people to continue to do this for me. Whatever happens to me, I hope someone will take over this operation. I enjoy doing what I am doing but I want to provide for the future. It all goes to Aurora House.”
Note: Westside News Inc. regularly prints John O’Brien’s call for returnable container donations and pull tabs: “Fundraiser to benefit the Aurora House – Save cans and pull tabs (aluminum only). The collection is on-going. Call John, 352-7866.”
