For 50-years Webb Funeral Home has been part of the Natchez community.

Its owner, Aubrey Webb, looks upon it as his job to serve his fellow man.

&uot;I like to talk to people and … I’m dealing with more unfortunate people than I am fortunate people,&uot; Webb said.

But by serving others, the giver also benefits.

&uot;That’s where your blessings come from,&uot; Webb said.

Webb’s charitable work earned him the honor of being nominated an unsung hero during this year’s Profile edition of The Democrat.

It was an honor Webb said he did not expect because he and his late wife, Irene Webb, made it a point to help others.

&uot;We just believe in helping the less fortunate,&uot; he said.

Webb said he first began working for the funeral home by selling insurance. He was in his early 20s at the time and the funeral home belonged to Mike Hymon, Webb said.

In 1946, Webb joined a partnership with three other local residents to buy the funeral home.

On April 21, 1951, the partnership dissolved and Webb Funeral Home was born.

&uot;They went by pretty swiftly,&uot; Webb said about the past 50 years.

Throughout the years, Webb and his wife often found time to serve others.

In addition to donating property to Holy Family Catholic Church, Webb and his wife visited the elderly once a week, taking food and helping them get back in contact with distant relatives.

Webb said his wife, Irene, would often contact relatives from out of town to encourage them to take more interest in their Natchez family.

Webb said he and his wife were married 53 years and they truly believed it was better to give than receive.

And even working in a funeral home can have its surprises.

Over the years, Webb said employees have discovered more than $16,000 on the deceased, all of which was returned to the families.

The most memorable case took place on Sept. 15, 1960, when they found $5,500 in $100 bills on the body of a blind World War II veteran.

&uot;I think it’s been a pretty good 50 years,&uot; Webb said about his career.