Obituary of Kathleen Preston

November 27, 1934 to March 27, 2019
On Wednesday, Kathleen Moore Preston, a loving wife, sister, mother, grandmother,
great grandmother and friend passed away, with family by her side in Naples, FL.
While Kathleen spent most of her life in New Jersey raising her family in Plainfield,
Warren and eventually settling in Martinsville, NJ, she also greatly cherished her
time spent at her Naples residence where she and her devoted husband, Eugene
Preston, spent their winters amongst their dear friends in the Florida sunshine. 
Kathleen graduated from The College of Saint Elizabeth in 1956.  She studied
Sociology and went on to become a Certified Drug & Alcohol Counselor. Her
compassion and warmth greatly impacted those who she supported through
recovery. Kathleen was a devout Catholic and gave much of her time to the church,
along with the other numerous organizations she volunteered with.  She will be
remembered by those whose lives she touched by her selflessness and relentless
need to give. 
Perhaps her greatest life’s work was her raising of nine children. Kathleen will be
dearly missed by her children: Gene and his wife Claire, Nancy Murphy and her
husband John, Peggy Matzen and her husband, Mark, Amee Smolinsky and her
husband, Mike, Timmy, Laurie Wolfe and her husband, Bud, Mickey and his wife,
Marie, Kerry Reinagel and her husband, Tim. She was predeceased by her late
husband of 52 years, Eugene F. Preston and son, Thomas Joseph Preston. Adored by
her 26 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren, and 2 sisters, Sister Mary Faith Moore
of Keansburg, NJ and Evelyn Conway of  Yardley, PA. Kathleen’s memory is one of
incredible joy and admiration. 
A visitation will be held on Sunday, March 31, 2019, from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at
Higgins Home for Funerals, 752 Mountain Blvd., Watchung, NJ. A Mass of Christian
Burial will be held on Monday, April 1, 2019, at 10 a.m. at Saint James Church,
Basking Ridge.
 
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Sisters of Mercy, McCauley Hall,
Mount Saint Mary’s, Watchung, NJ.