Preston, Charles (Charlie) Franklin Age 76 of Friendship

Charles (Charlie) Franklin Preston III, 76, died peacefully at home with his wife at his side on March 26, 2024, after a valiant battle with cancer and ALS. Charlie was born October 25, 1947, in Ft. Dix, New Jersey, to Mary Machinski and Charles Franklin Preston Jr. His stepmother, Gloria joined the family in 1950.

Charlie spent his amazing childhood in Vermont. He lived to play baseball with his brother. He was a star pitcher. His dad, a chicken farmer, gave Charlie 500 chickens to raise, to make money. He tended a strawberry patch and picked berries for customers.

Charlie enlisted in the Army at 17 and spent three years in Berlin. After his discharge, he went to Florida, where the family had moved, and attended college for a couple of years.
After a while, he moved to Milwaukee where he worked beside his brother for a number of years in the Milwaukee Forge. He later moved to New Hampshire to work at the White River Junction Post Office. His last, and most rewarding job was at the NH Bindery in Concord NH.

While living in Concord, Charlie met his sweetheart, Robynn Orr, while on a dinner dance cruise on Lake Winnipesaukee. They married on August 9, 2008.

In 2016, They moved to Friendship, Wisconsin. There they bought and renovated a hunting camp. They created a paradise on the banks of a trophy trout stream (but we’re not giving any more information). They grew beautiful flowers, trees, and berries. and fondly called their land ‘Preston Park’. Their home was warm and welcoming, they often entertained friends and enjoyed quiet evenings around their woodstove.

The animals loved their place as well. Deer regularly passed through the property morning and evening. Owls, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, blue birds, and songbirds frequented their feeders.
Charlie and Robynn had a fairytale marriage. They were constant companions who found joy in one another at every opportunity. From ballroom dancing, trout fishing, cooking, managing stellar gardens, cutting the grass together, and meeting each other at the car to carry in groceries, they treated each other like newlyweds their entire marriage. They gave each other love notes and cards. Often, one of them would say, “Guess What?” The response was always, “I love you, gotcha first.” Charlie deeply and intensely loved his wife.

Charlie loved the beauty of the natural world and enjoyed hunting and fishing. He was a consummate trout fisherman and a master woodworking artisan. He made fine detail boxes, coat racks, and more. He showed his love of wood in his exquisitely hand-crafted trout fishing landing nets. Each net was laminated, sanded, and re-sanded to a satin finish. Then the net was strung and secured. Finally, he applied his signature. His joy from creating better and better nets was apparent when he displayed his work at artisan shows.

Charlie was a worker. If not working on his landing nets, he could be found doing yard work or fixing and building around the house. He also was a natural storyteller who drew listeners into the event. Through his words and inflections, one could feel the cold stream, see the dappled sun coming through trees or watch as the trout jumped and struggled to get away.
All who had the pleasure of knowing Charlie came to love him. He had a great sense of humor, was generous beyond belief, and a man of integrity and honor. He will be sorely missed, but he is not gone. He is just ahead of us on the path. We know we will be together again, and that Charlie will be whole and complete without disease or pain. Ours is a kind and loving Heavenly Father.

Charlie is survived by his wife, Robynn; stepmother, Gloria; and brother Robert. He was preceded in death by his dad and his birth mother.

Funeral services will be held April 13, 11:00 a.m., at the Friendship Wisconsin Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, East Lake Street (across from the electric coop). In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation in Charlie’s name to Trout Unlimited Basil W. Woods Jr. Chapter, Concord, New Hampshire.

Roseberry’s Funeral Home is assisting the family. Visit www.roseberrys.com for online condolences.

Source: WRJC.com

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