JOHN ARTHUR PRESTON

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JOHN ARTHUR PRESTON

On the morning of April 22, 2024, John died at the age of 78, nine days after suffering a massive stroke.

He is survived by his sister Alison Preston (Barry Armstrong); nephews, Max Preston (Beth Ann Mcivor) and Zeke Preston; great-nephew Levi Preston; the Podolak family; loving cousins; life-long friends, Lynn, Lana, Daryl, and Bernie; and many other devoted friends, especially Tam, Jane, David, Gillian, Beatrice, and Jerome (who took the above photograph of John).

He was predeceased by his father Arthur Preston (1981); his sister Dory Preston (1991); his mother Jean (Fraser) Preston (2001); and his long-ago wife Carol Lamont.

John lived his whole life in Winnipeg, except for a brief sojourn on the west coast. He loved the outdoors, most of all the warm sunny days of summer. When he was a child, trips to our uncle Geordie’s farm near Pilot Mound were a highlight of his holidays, and time spent at Rock Lake and Victoria Beach seeking fun with his cousins and old friend Lyle. In later years, his hammock could be spotted swinging from between two trees in Assiniboine Forest.

A few days before his stroke, he watched the breakup of the ice on the Assiniboine River with two geese that he swore were as excited about it as he was.

He excelled at curling, cross-country skiing, cycling, and blackjack, before settling comfortably into lawn bowling where he enjoyed wonderful times with a grand group of friends. John’s other passion was running; he still ran almost daily. He said it helped to keep him sane in an increasingly crazy world. He soldiered on in spite of the extreme stress that plagued his life in recent years.

There was no one like John. In my effort to describe him I will list some adjectives that friends used when they spoke of him during his last week: kind, funny, enthusiastic, positive, caring, gentle, honest, fragile, wonderfully eccentric, curious, child-like (in a good way), unique, good-hearted. And handsome with an unforgettable smile!

I was four years younger than my brother, which is a lot when you’re a kid, but he let me follow him around, hound him with questions, and join him and his friends on their adventures. We would play catch for hours and hit a tennis ball back and forth in our front yard. He never wanted to quit. I don’t remember him ever giving me an unkind word. And we would laugh till our faces hurt.

Cremation has taken place. At John’s request there will be no service.

If you desire, please make a donation to the Winnipeg Humane Society in John’s memory.

Rest easy John, we miss you.

E.J. COUTU & CO. FUNERAL DIRECTORS

204-253-5086

Tributes: ejcoutu.ca

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As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Apr 27, 2024, Apr 27, 2024