Edwin G. Preis

Funeral service for Edwin G. Preis, 95, of Newellton, will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 31, 2011, at Newellton Union Church with Clyde Ray Weber officiating. Burial will be in Legion Memorial Cemetery. Edwin was born Feb. 17, 1916, in Waterproof. He was married to Pat Preis for 67 wonderful years. He passed away Thursday, July 28, 2011, after a short illness. Edwin lived in Newellton with his wife, Pat, for 65 years. Edwin was the mayor of Newellton for 28 years. He was president of the Louisiana Municipal Association and had numerous friends around the state of Louisiana. He loved Newellton and Tensas Parish and was dedicated to the public school system, and improvements in the town of Newellton. The people of Newellton said of him that "if you sent him to Washington with a credit card, he would bring back a new water system or sewer system." He was a founder of the Little League Baseball Association in the parish. One of his greatest loves was serving as announcer along with his longtime friend, O.R. Barnes, at the Newellton High football games during the 1960s when Newellton won two district championships and was state runner up. During his tenure as mayor, he was asked to represent Louisiana in a meeting at the White House with then President Bill Clinton. Edwin is survived by his wife, Pat; two sons, Edwin Preis and his wife, Chris, of Lafayette, and Phillip Preis and his wife, Terry, of Baton Rouge; and a daughter, Patricia Preis Thompson and her husband, Dr. Tony Thompson, of Nacogdoches, Texas. Edwin had 12 grandchildren whom he loved and followed their lives to adulthood. He is survived by Elise Colomb and her husband, Brian, Meredith Lalonde and her husband, Jonah, and Meghan Thibodeaux and her husband, Garett all of Lafayette, Phillip Preis Jr. and his wife, Emelie, of Brooklyn, N.Y., Caroline Preis Graham and her husband, Eric Graham, of Baton Rouge, Michael Preis, of Austin, Texas, Jennifer Preis, of Dallas, Matt Thompson, of Baton Rouge, and Graham Thompson and Ben Thompson, of Shreveport; and stepgrandchildren, Todd Adam and his wife, Jennifer, of The Woodlands, Texas, and Ginger Adam, of Baton Rouge. He is also survived by 10 great-grandchildren. The pallbearers will be his grandsons. Honorary pallbearers are Frank Burnside Jr., Sonny Kifer and Billy Guthrie. The family asks that in lieu of flowers donations be made to the Newellton Union Church Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 265, Newellton, LA 71357.