Bobby Thomas Preston

Bobby Thomas Preston, 81, of Colonial Beach, VA was called home to be with the Lord on Easter Morning, April 17^th, 2022.  He was met there by the open arms of his parents Thomas Edison Preston and Madeline (Beeman) Preston as well as his brother, Martin Edison Preston.  He was also preceded in death by his second wife, Vivian (Clutterbuck) Preston, granddaughter, Sara K. Preston, and sister-in-law, Rose M. Preston.  He leaves behind his son Donald Thomas Preston, his daughter Cynthia Marie Fisher (Frankie), his grandsons Daniel K. Preston and Clint T. Preston, great grandson Bradley K. Preston; sister Joyce McKenzie (Kenneth), brothers Jesse Preston (Vicki), Rick Preston and Wayne Preston (Melissa), sister-in-law Linda K. Preston along with a multitude of cherished and adored nieces and nephews.  He also leaves behind a brotherhood of watermen and many, many friends.

Born in Washington, DC on July 28, 1940, he was an outdoorsman from birth. He enjoyed hunting trips from Maine to Montana and all points between in pursuit of deer, bear, antelope, wild boar, elk, rabbits, squirrels and turkey.  He was also equally at home fishing a mountain brook for trout or on the Atlantic Gulf Stream in search of marlin, tuna, dolphin or sailfish, or on any of the rivers, lakes or ponds in between them.  He thrived on any outdoor adventure from camping to crabbing, bull frogging, water skiing to sky diving, skeet shooting, mushroom hunting or sightseeing in the mountains he explored as a boy to the beaches of the Outer Banks that he loved as an adult.  Being a distant cousin of baseball Hall of Famer Lefty Grove, he could also find joy sitting in the stands on a warm summer evening with a hotdog, a cold beer and a ballgame or bowling on one of his many leagues at Annandale Bowling Center.  Many of his most treasured memories were made in places such as Eddie Wilson’s Deer Camp or Hanky Mountain Café in Augusta Co. VA, Bull Pasture (Trout Fishing), Leedstown Campground, the Shenandoah River at Colonel George Nosek’s, Nags Head, NC, and Barton, MD. 

In addition to his love of the outdoors, he proudly served in the United States Army from July 1957 to July 1959 and served his community as a firefighter and President of the Oak Grove Volunteer Fire Department. He was the owner/operator of Oak Grove Roofing for over twenty-five years.  In his retirement years he was a commercial crabber.  He, along with Donald W. Fisher, was one of the original founding members of Dixieland Hunt Club and served as a member and President of Colonial Hunt Club.  He was affectionately known as “Bluetick” and will be sorely missed by all his hunting friends on the radio.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, July 30^th at Oak Grove Volunteer Fire Department in Oak Grove, Virginia with a Visitation from 3-4p followed by a Memorial Service at 4p with Honors.  His ashes will be interred in Laurel Hill Cemetery overlooking the beautiful George’s Creek Valley in his family’s ancestral home in the mountains of Western Maryland.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in loving memory of Bobby Preston or dear friends Donald Fisher, or George Bowie to Oak Grove Volunteer Fire Department, ATTN:  Treasurer, 121 James Monroe Highway, Colonial Beach, VA 22443.