Jerry Lee Preston

Jerry Preston, age 81, of Westfield, Indiana passed away at home surrounded by his loving family on Friday, October 4, 2024, after a courageous 4-year battle with leukemia. He was born July 7, 1943, in Kokomo, Indiana to Fred and Anna Mae (Hale) Preston. He graduated from Kokomo High School in 1963. He retired from General Motors after 35 years of service. On May 9, 1980, he married his best friend, his greatest supporter and the love of his life, Cheryl Suzy Stapleton.

After retirement, they fulfilled their dream by traveling by boat to Scottsboro, Alabama on the Tennessee River. They lived on their houseboat for 8 years. They made many lifelong friends from their time on the river. In 2009, they came back to Indiana to care for Suzy's mother, Jackie, and to spend time with their grandchildren.

Jerry is survived by his wife, Suzy Preston, of Westfield; sons, Eric (Gina) Preston, of Kokomo and Anthony Preston of Florida; daughter, Stephanie (Jim) Lewis, of Westfield; 5 grandchildren, Ian (Sam) Easton, Michaela (Leland) Booher of Indianapolis, Ethan Preston of Indianapolis, A.J. Preston of Ohio, James Lewis of Muncie and Abigail Lewis of West Lafayette; and nieces and nephews, Karen (Robert) Kraft of Florida, Mike Seagrave of Westfield, Kimberly Preston of Florida, John (Beth) Preston of Georgia, Tammy Hasler of Indianapolis, and James Gould (Bridget) of Kokomo.

He is preceded in death by his mother, Anna Mae Preston; his father, Fred Preston Sr.; sister, Beverly Seagrave; brother, Fred Preston; sister, Betty Gould; daughter, Jennifer Downs; and mother-in-law, Jackie Stapleton.

The family would like to thank Dr. Bhatia and his wonderful staff at MD Anderson Cancer Center for all they have done over the past 4 years.

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for memorial contributions to be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

There will be a memorial gathering for Jerry on Friday, October 25, 2024, from 2pm-4pm, with a funeral service at 4pm, at Sunset Memory Garden Funeral Home, 2097 W. Alto Rd., Kokomo.