Charlotte Ann PRESTON

1953 - 2015

Died Thursday, October 8 at home, surrounded by loving friends and family. Born July 27, 1953 in Sublette, Kansas, Charlotte was the daughter of Charles Almon and Bertha Pauline Masquelier Preston. A graduate of Manhattan Bible College, Charlotte received her MA in English from Kansas State University, and studied further in the Ph.D. program in Rhetoric at the University of Southern California. She was a gifted teacher, first at Marymount College in Salina, Kansas, then at USC. Together with her wife, Mary Kurth and their son, Charlotte moved to Minnesota in 1993, and began her own business, Charlotte Preston Catalysts, Inc., and became a leading education consultant to the jewelry industry nationwide. Dedicated to community service, Charlotte was a past member of the White Bear Lake, Mn. Chamber of Commerce, and was an active leader in her congregation, serving as President of White Bear Unitarian Universalist Church in Mahtomedi, and on the Board of Directors of the Mid-America Region of the Unitarian Universalist Association. In a 2002 presentation to her church, Charlotte said this: "I believe we can together arrest what is evil, nurture our children, buffer broken hearts, save this world." Charlotte was a gifted essayist and lyricist and a powerful singer. Music gave voice to her spirit. She is survived by her beloved wife, Mary, their son Jake (Emma), her sister Sharon Stapleton (Roy Van), nieces and nephews, and a wide, deep circle of colleagues and friends. In the words of novelist E.B. White, "She was in a class by herself. It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a great writer. Charlotte was both." Charlotte's family expresses deepest gratitude for the care team at the Cancer Center at Woodwinds Hospital. Memorial gifts may be made to White Bear Unitarian Universalist Church in Mahtomedi, or Doctors Without Borders, or Caring Bridge. Arrangements for a memorial service are pending.