Richard Ernest Preston

Richard is survived by his loving wife of nearly 70 years, Jeanne Preston (nee Hisey) and their four children, Steve Preston of Stony Plain, AB, Ron Preston (Marie) of Sharon, ON, Lynn Rumble (Dave) of Stouffville, ON and Susan Johnson (Taylor) of Stony Plain, AB. Richard was the proud grandfather of Steven, Jennifer, Amanda, Jacqueline, Aaron, Ryan, Matthew, Andrew, Sarah and Kiana as well as ten great grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.

Being raised on a farm instilled the value of hard work and dedication to anything Rick set his mind to. It was on the farm that he honed his excellent marksmanship skills which later led to Civil War Reenacting with the Upper Canada Volunteer Regiments Organization. This took him to many places across the U.S. and led to many strong and lasting friendships.

It was in the fall of 1952 at the annual hunt club party where Richard met Jeanne. Later, they were married on June 26, 1954 in Aurora, ON. Richard and Jeanne spent 69 years at the farm they purchased from his grandfather, George Preston, who built the red brick farmhouse in 1914 just north of Preston Lake. The early years on the farm were dedicated to beef cows, chickens, horses and mixed grain. There were also many early morning risings to deliver milk to homes in Toronto. Later, Richard’s independent nature would see him operating his own window and door business, known as Leader Aluminum. His interest in local politics would find him sitting and chairing local land division committees.

Living in a small community for many years nurtured close friendships with nearby neighbours.

Some of dad’s interests included recovering Indigenous artifacts and collecting antiques. Dad also enjoyed square dancing and met many dear lifelong friends whom they shared many weekends with at a cottage in Huntsville.

Dad’s passion for history extended to spending many years volunteering at the Whitchurch-Stouffville Museum where he also made many lasting friends. Dad enjoyed assisting with their annual car show and giving tours as Mr. Brown at Christmas time and a greeter at the annual Victorian Tea. Dad also spent many happy hours giving tours at the log cabin.

Once retired, Rick and Jeanne enjoyed travelling west every year to see their family and took many memorable trips including Crete, St. Petersburg, Russia, Branson, Missouri, Texas and many parts of Europe.

Richard’s family is deeply grateful for the in-home care provided by Esther, a truly special individual, and for the caregivers at AgeCare in Aurora who provided such compassionate care.

A graveside service will be held on Monday May 6, 2024, at Dickson Hill Cemetery at 11AM followed by a luncheon at Whitchurch-Stouffville Museum.

In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Whitchurch-Stouffville Museum, by way of cheque only, payable to “The Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville” 14732 Woodbine Ave., Whitchurch-Stouffville, ON L4A 2K9 can be made or left at the museum.