Faith J. Preston

Faith J. Preston

Faith J. Preston, 83, passed away on January 24, 2024. She had been married to her high school sweetheart John from Newington, CT for 56 years before he passed away in 2018. They had two children, David and Diana.

After graduating from Newington High School, Faith attended Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA. She enjoyed studying meteorology, but missed John. They both wanted to be closer together so Faith transferred to Central Connecticut State College in New Britain, CT and earned a degree in elementary education.

Soon after graduation, John joined the U.S. Air Force and they moved to Wichita Falls, TX. While there, they welcomed a son and daughter to the family. After four years in TX, they returned to CT and settled in Glastonbury. They lived there for forty-two years until retiring to Harwich, MA.

While raising her children, Faith was an enthusiastic volunteer and leader. She was a Cub Scout Den Leader, Girl Scout Leader, and Youth Fellowship Leader at First Church of Christ Congregational in Glastonbury, CT. She cheered on her children at swimming, Little League Baseball, softball, basketball, and gymnastics. She also endured an endless number of dance lessons and recitals.

When her children were older, she worked as a bank teller and then as a customer service representative at the former Burritt InterFinancial Bancorporation. She was a people person and enjoyed her time with colleagues and customers.

Faith was very active at First Church in Glastonbury and later at Pilgrim Congregational Church in Harwich Port, MA. She sang in the choir for more than thirty years at First Church and continued for many years at Pilgrim Congregational. At First Church, she also played in the bell choir, joined numerous committees, and served as a Deacon.

Faith had a lifelong love of animals, particularly birds, horses, and dogs. When she was only eleven, Faith was breeding canaries and showing them at the Connecticut Canary Breeders Club. She taught horseback riding at Camp Waukeela in Eaton Center, NH and continued to teach horseback riding while in college.

She always had bird feeders out and enjoyed watching the birds in the yard. While living on Briarwood Dr. in Glastonbury, neighbors brought injured baby birds to Faith to nurse them back to health. Several birds kept coming back after they healed and the family spent time with them out on the deck. At various times the family also had a canary, tropical fish, pet mice, guinea pigs, and briefly an iguana. A veritable zoo.

And then there were the dogs. Faith could never be without a dog. She and John adopted a puppy in TX, but their other dogs were rescues of various sorts. They were all family dogs, but she was definitely person #1 for the border collie she rescued from a shelter in Hartford, CT.

Her passion for wildlife led her to volunteer for many years at Connecticut Audubon in Glastonbury, CT and Mass Audubon Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary in Barnstable, MA. She also fed baby birds as a volunteer for Wild Care in Eastham, MA.

Faith enjoyed making her house a home. She was an avid gardener, baked dozens of Christmas cookies with her sister and mother every year, and enthusiastically decorated for holidays. She made ceramic Christmas trees, angel ornaments, and a manger scene. She and John took meticulous care in updating and maintaining the family’s colonial home built in 1795 on Main Street in Glastonbury. She periodically played the piano, did quilting, knitting, sewing, made braided rugs, and much more.

While at heart a homebody, she also liked to travel periodically. While her children were growing up, some favorites were camping trips in New England and Eastern Canada, family camp at YMCA Camp Becket (and sister camp Chimney Corners) in the Berkshires of western MA, and sharing a cottage with her parents every year in Cape Cod, MA. Later it was trips to the Caribbean, Wyoming, Alaska, and Costa Rica. Also hiking in Cornwall, sailing on the Schooner Brilliant, and vacations with friends from the Air Force.

After retiring to Harwich, MA, Faith really enjoyed having family and friends visit. Her son lived on the Cape, so she was close to her grandson when he was growing up. She and John designed and built a house on a pond where she spent time in the gardens, fed the ducks, and walked the dogs. She continued to cheer for UConn women’s basketball, did Sudoku and jigsaw puzzles, and walked on the beach.

Faith touched many lives and will be dearly missed by her daughter, friends, fellow church and choir members, former colleagues, and her dog. She is survived by her grandson Zachary Preston and was predeceased by her husband John S. Preston, Jr. and her son David Preston.

A reception celebrating her life will be held on March 9, 2024 at 11:00 am in Monbleau Hall at Pilgrim Congregational Church, 533 MA-28, Harwich Port, MA. 02646.

A memorial service will be held at First Church of Christ Congregational in Glastonbury, CT at a later date.

Memorial donations may be made to:

First Church of Christ Congregational, 2183 Main St., Glastonbury, CT 06033,

Pilgrim Congregational Church, 533 MA 28, P.O. Box 247, Harwich Port, MA 02646,

Connecticut Audubon Society, 314 Unquowa Road, Fairfield, CT 06824,

Mass Audubon Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary, P.O. Box 235, Cummaquid, MA 02637, or

Wild Care, 10 Smith Lane, Eastham, MA 02642-2671.