James Preston

JAMES PRESTON James C. Preston, 77, of Las Vegas, passed away Aug. 10, 2011. He was born in 1933, in New York, and was a nine-year resident of Nevada. Jim was a proud life member of IATSE Local 33 (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) and ATPAM (Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers). He moved to Las Vegas in 2002, after retiring from the Los Angeles production of Phantom of the Opera. Here he enjoyed golf, the company of his dear friends and union brothers and sisters, and the theater-friendly atmosphere of Vegas. He was born in New York to theatrical parents, the actors James Coots and Edna Pew. While a young boy, he saved Babe Ruth by alerting nearby adults when he saw Ruth fall while fly-fishing in a swift stream at Phoenicia, N.Y., where his parents owned a guest lodge. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, from 1952-1954 in France before returning to the U.S. and the theater, first as a stage and company manager and in later years as a lighting tech and lighting stagehand. He traveled all over the U.S. and Canada with the road shows for Broadway productions, married three times (his first wife, Pat Richards, is still surviving, while his second wife, Winifred Ainslee and his third wife, Rita Abrams-Edge, have passed away); and is survived by one child, Heather; one grandchild, Grant; along with many cherished friends. No services are scheduled. Donations can be made to The Shade Tree shelter program, 1 W. Owens Ave., North Las Vegas, NV 89030, www.theshadetree.org .