Phyllis Preston

Phyllis Ann Preston passed away peacefully on October 31, 2025 in Lubbock, Texas at the age of 75.

A memorial service will be held at 10:00am, Saturday, November 8, 2025 at the Central Christian Church in Childress, Texas with Pastor Randy Wilson officiating.

Born on February 9, 1950 in Childress, Texas, Phyllis was drawn to the language arts at a young age, and dedicated her professional life to teaching theater, speech, and English. After graduating from Childress High School in 1968, Phyllis attended Texas Tech University where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree and shortly thereafter began her teaching career at Estacado High School in Lubbock. She taught for several years in Meadow High School before moving back to her hometown where she would spend the rest of her career teaching at Childress High School. Phyllis believed that her classroom should be a welcoming environment where any and every student could be accepted, find their place, and step into a space where they could fully express themselves. Her loving care for her students and her passion for teaching theater, speech, and literature earned Phyllis a "teacher of the year" recognition, and many of her students earned high recognition in UIL state competitions. She extended her commitment to education outside of the classroom through participation in organizations such as the Texas Educational Theater Association, the Texas Stage Teachers Association, and Delta Kappa Gamma. Along with her professional life, Phyllis was strongly committed to her Christian faith, to the churches she attended, to study of the Bible, and to her spiritual friendships. While in Lubbock, she was a committed member of First Christian Church and Trinity Christian Church, and after returning to Childress she rejoined the faith community in which she was raised, Central Christian Church, where she would serve as a member of the choir, an elder, a deacon, a Sunday School teacher to youth, and as president of the Christian Women's Fellowship. Her care for the wellbeing of young people was also embodied in her role as an advocate for CASA. Phyllis' love and commitment to her students and to her faith was equaled only by the love she felt for her family.

Phyllis was preceded in death by parents Howard and Delois Preston, and her sister Janet.

She is survived by her brother, Barry Preston, sister-in-law, Natalie, and nephew Evan, by cousins Leonora "Nonie" Cawthon, Preston Stevens, Linda Woehl, Kellie Keel, Vicki Henderson, Rex Lee, Steve Lee, and David Lee, and by her dearest chosen family friend, Letta Hinton. Along with students, church, and family,

Phyllis' love and energy was offered to her canine companions, most of whom were named after her favorite actors from stage and screen or for notable authors and literary characters. All who knew Phyllis well might still envision her sitting with her canine companion in her lap, and, while one of her favorite black and white classic films or Disney animated movies would run in the background, she would enthusiastically talk to anyone who would listen (be they friend, family, former student, or four-legged friend) about one of her favorite subjects: the myths and legends of King Arthur, the Outlander series, the Peanuts Gang, or her deep Christian faith.