Preston Campbell Williams

Preston is survived by his loving wife Dorothy (Hancock) Williams of Essex, CT; daughter Lesley Bosnak and her husband Eric of Ivoryton, CT; sons Stuart Williams and his wife Lynn of Mahwah, NJ, and Jon Williams of San Francisco, CA; brothers Graham Williams and his wife Gloria of Cape Cod, MA, Walter Williams and his wife Judith of North Haledon, NJ, and Dr. Robert Williams and his wife Margery of East Greenbush, NY.

A loving grandfather, he will also be greatly missed by his grandchildren Preston H. Williams, Kyler Williams, Corby Williams, Kyle Midthassel, and Tyler Midthassel and his daughter Lesley’s brood of animals, as well as a number of nieces and nephews.

Preston grew up in Hawthorne, NJ, in an extremely tight-knit and loving family. In 1951 he began attending Colgate University, and joined the Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity, where he would form friendships which would prove to be close and life-long. After serving as a 1st Lieutenant in the Air Force he returned to NJ, where he was introduced to Dorothy by a family member. They married in 1960.

Preston worked in several jobs before landing in medical publishing in the late 60’s. He was the publisher of many physician journals during his career, and served as president of Physicians Radio Network before starting his own firm, Campbell Communications. He remained in the medical publishing realm, most recently doing merger and acquisition work as a managing partner at DiSilva and Philips, until his retirement in 2008.

His fascination with aviation led him to obtain his private pilot’s license in 1980. Avid boaters, he and Dottie treasured their time on the water and on their trawler “Prime Times” and are current members of the Essex Yacht Club. His family and friends will remember him for his love for the sun and boating, music, world travel, his daily exercise, and his affectionate and enthusiastic manner.

A memorial service will be held on March 31st at 2pm at St. John’s Church, Main and Cross Streets, Essex, CT. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Preston’s residence over the last two years - Peregrine’s Landing at the Shoreline, 91 East Main St., Clinton, CT 06413, or Saint John’s Episcopal Church, PO Box 422, Essex, CT 06426.