Ethel V. Preston

Ethel V. Preston, 96, of Fort Collins, Colorado passed away peacefully with her daughter in law by her side on Saturday, September 9, 2023. A Denver native, Ethel was the fifth of eight born to Lawrence and Grace McConnell on August 7, 1927. Raised on a farm in a family of modest means, Ethel learned the importance of faith and a good work ethic.
Ethel was a long-time dedicated Baptist and was a member of The Bridge church in Fort Collins. When asked what it meant when reference was made to her church family, Ethel replied, "it means I'm well loved." Throughout her life, Ethel devoted much time to her bible studies, sharing the word of God with others, and volunteering with the church. She especially loved helping with the children. When her son and daughter in law would go to Pine Ridge Reservation, Ethel would put together goodies for the kids. She would bake cookies and individually wrap them including a ribbon, and she would put 10 raisins in a pouch, then everything would go in a bag, then into a box!
At only 15 years of age, Ethel was married in 1943 to Phil Mallard in Englewood, Colorado. Phil died only 10 short years later of a heart condition. That was a very difficult time for Ethel and at such a young age. But she persevered and decided to attend Parks Business College for book keeping, a skill that served her throughout the rest of her life.
She was working at the Colorado Central Power Company when she married Dick Preston in 1957 in Englewood, Colorado. They lived a short time in La Habre, California near Ethel's sister Helen, and then in Las Vegas, Nevada. But the majority of their life together was spent in their home state of Colorado.
Ethel worked at Swedish Hospital and even did book keeping for Preston Construction, as well as Fair Auto Wrecking (her husband's junk yard). Helping her husband in his endeavors was always front and center for Ethel, as well as raising her only son. The family spent much time together transporting old cars to Kansas for storage. And Rodney was raised around his father's junk yard learning about cars as well as his parents' work ethic. Ethel would boast that Fair Auto Wrecking was the cleanest junk yard in Denver.
Cleaning was a trait she learned in her family growing up. Whenever a family member or close friend experienced hardship, Ethel would show up to clean their house top to bottom! Ethel seemed to love cleaning so much, that we teased her that she would be buried with her cleaning gloves and a bottle of Palmolive!
In their later years, when most people were retired and settling down, Dick and Ethel took to flipping a few houses! Ask any neighbor they ever had, and you'd know their remodeling projects usually started about 4 in the morning when everyone else was asleep! Ethel also took up researching and tracing the genealogy of her parents and her husband's parents. They stayed very active right up until Dick's death in 2009. That is when Ethel joined her son and daughter in law in the Fort Collins area.
Ethel kept up with her book keeping, balancing her checkbook to the penny and really enjoying when she found a mistake to fix. Playing games and teasing was always a part of Ethel's life. And she found a competitor in her daughter in law. The teasing between her and her kids was endless. Ethel of course cleaned constantly having shampooed her carpets just days before falling and breaking her hand. The last year and a half, Ethel lived at Lemay Avenue Health and Rehab. Her work ethic extended to her exercises which she did daily and never missed. She strived for as much independence as was possible, and maybe just a little bit more than the rest of us were comfortable with!
Ethel made the most of every situation. You always found Ethel with a smile and an encouraging word. Even when grappling with increasing dementia or pain, Ethel never lost her sense of joy, loving kindness, or generosity. Her sense of humor increased with her confusion, remarking in June with a smile and full of laughter, "If I'da known I'd be losing my mind, I wouldn'ta gotten up!" Taken from a cherished card that Ethel wrote, this quote sums up how Ethel lived her life: "To love and be loved is the greatest happiness of existence. And Jesus is very near." -Ethel Preston, 2023
Ethel was preceded in death by her first husband, Phil Mallard age 29, her second husband, Dick Preston age 85, brother Glen McConnell age 67, sister Anna Lea age 81, sister Juanita Davis age 78, sister Oletta Freund age 84, and sister Opal Lee Disney age 85.
Ethel is survived by her son Rodney Preston and daughter in law Heather Deshaies-Preston of Wellington, Colorado, her sister Helen Perkins of Carlotta, California, her brother Jim McConnell of Denver, Colorado, her brother-in-law Hubert Disney of Englewood, Colorado, and many nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m., Friday October 6th at The Bridge Church (833 S. Taft Hill Rd., Fort Collins, CO 80521). Ethel's nephew Gary Preston will officiate the service, which will be followed by a reception. Interment will be at Fort Logan at a later date (TBD). We're working on a livestream option for the memorial service. Check back here for the details and updates.
The family would like to thank Columbine Lemay Avenue Health and Rehab staff for their excellent care and compassion for Ethel throughout the last year and a half. In addition, we are grateful to Pathways Palliative and Hospice for their extra care and attention during the very end of her life. We would also like to thank Chris Goes (and staff) at Goes Funeral Care for taking care of another of our loved ones in laying their bodies to rest. And for taking such time and extra care with those of us left behind. Lastly we want to thank everyone at The Bridge church for being such a wonderful family for Ethel to be a part of. Even when she was no longer capable of attending services, Ethel's church family did not stop attending to her.