Susie Preston's Obituary
LERNA, IL - Sara Jane Preston, age 74 of Lerna, Illinois and formerly of Charleston, passed away on Thursday, February 5, 2015 while at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana. A Memorial Service honoring and celebrating her life will be held at 6:00 p.m. Sunday evening, February 8, 2015 at Adams Funeral Chapel in Charleston with Reverend Dr. Thomas Hawkins and Reverend Jan Hawkins officiating. Visitation for family and friends will be held prior to the memorial service on Sunday from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. at the funeral chapel. It is requested that thoughtful donations in her honor be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or to the E.I.U. Foundation for the Fred and Sara Jane Preston Award in Nursing. Gifts may be left on the memorial table at the visitation or service or may be mailed to Adams Funeral Chapel, 2330 Shawnee Dr., Charleston, IL 61920. Susie, as she was affectionately known, was born on September 24, 1940 in Kokomo, Indiana, one of five daughters born to the late Huston and Anna (Herrington) Brown. She married Fredrick Preston on February 7, 1959 in Kokomo. She is survived by her loving husband Fred; her daughter, Kim Patterson of O'Fallon, Illinois and her son, John Preston and wife Beth of Charleston; four grandchildren, Colin Preston, Ryan Preston, Lauren Patterson and Jack Patterson; a sister, Rebecca Franklin and husband Edwin of Gallatin, Tennessee; and several nieces and nephews and their families. Susie was also preceded in death by three sisters, Clara Mae Wilson, M. Louise Kinder and Mable Webster. Sara Jane "Susie" Preston, in her very own words, "lived a wonderful, fulfilling life with no regrets." How lucky she was that she met the love of her life in high school. Fred also knew he had an incredible opportunity for a beautiful life and quickly married her before anyone else could! They were inseparable and madly in love for the next 56 years. Susie graduated from Kokomo High School and began working as a secretary and upon moving to Charleston became the secretary to the President at Charleston National Bank. Without a college education, through hard work, she became President of the bank and loved working with people and helping their dreams come true, whether they were striving to buy a home, start a business, or save a family farm. She was caring, fair, honest and always tried to treat her customers with respect. Ask Susie what made her happiest, she would say "family" every time! She relished any possible opportunity to be with her children, Kim and John, or her four very beautiful and brilliant grandchildren; Colin, Ryan, Lauren, and Jack. She was equally adored by each of them and any excuse to get together was reason for a celebration! She was an example to her family and many others through her honest and loving way of living. She found joy and happiness in the simplest things and was, has been, and always will be the heart of her family. She lived her life with grace, beauty, and a wonderful sense of humor and will be missed forevermore by her family and friends.Click to view family memorial video.
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