John Allison Public House family mourns loss of bartender

The employees and guests at John Allison Public House are one big family, and that family is grieving the loss of long-time bartender Michael “Mike” Brook.

Brook, who lived in Waynesboro but spent most of his time behind the bar at John Allison in Greencastle, died in a boating accident Thursday, April 13, on the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg. Brook was fishing with another man, who was rescued, when the accident occurred around 7:30 a.m. at the Dock Street Dam.

“We’ve had a hard couple of days,” owners Jeff Bruckhart and J Morgan said simultaneously Saturday afternoon at the Greencastle-Antrim Craft Beer, Wine and Spirits Festival, where the restaurant provided the food.

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“We lost part of our family and we’re trying to push through it,” Bruckhart said.

The lead bartender, Brook had been with John Allison Public House for 13 years, and Morgan said he was a great friend, as well as employee.

“He knew everybody’s name when they walked through the door,” Bruckhart said. Brook served up drinks, jokes and pranks.

“Being a bartender, personality is all you need — you can be taught everything else — and he definitely had that 150%,” Morgan said. “Everybody in this community loved this man, I don't think he really understood how much he was loved.”

Members of the community can show their love through a GoFundMe account at https://gofund.me/e8d291de set up to help his family with funeral expenses.

“As a restaurant family, we are hurting, but we also ask that you keep Mike’s family in your hearts and prayers. He leaves behind his wife, Elizabeth ‘Bea’ Hibble of 38 years, a sister, a daughter, two grandsons and many nieces and nephews. He will be forever loved and missed,” said a Sunday Facebook post by the restaurant, where a daylong fundraiser also was to be held Tuesday, April 18.

The news of Brook’s death was shared on the Facebook page last week in this post:

“When people say ‘we are at a loss for words,’ that truly does not begin to describe our loss at the John Allison. Today, a colleague, friend and member of our family was taken from us far too soon. Mike Brook has been with us from the beginning (13 years); we don’t even need to describe Mike, because our guests and community know Mike, his sense of humor and his truly caring heart was one of a kind. He had the jokes and wasn’t afraid to use them. He also managed to set his shirt on fire while leaning over a candle, run over anyone and everyone behind the bar, and break anything in his path. He also offered a listening ear to everyone. We would trade anything to have him back behind the bar breaking another mug.”

In addition to the GoFundMe account, a fundraiser to help Brook’s family with funeral expenses will be held from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday, April 18, at John Allison Public House, 155 S. Antrim Way. A portion of the day’s total sales will be donated to the family and there also will be donation jars available to accept cash and checks.