Sue Albro Preston

Sue was born on March 17, 1920, in San Antonio, Texas, to Ward Sloan and Bena (Kane) Albro. She attended the San Antonio/Harlandale schools. While in high school, she and the family moved to San Angelo, Texas. After graduating from San Angelo High School, she completed a course of study at San Angelo Business College. This training led to a job at the local radio station where she was known as “Miss Pennygram”, an on-the-air classified ad program. It was during this time that she met the sales manager of the radio station, Venson Marlow Preston, whom she married on 6/14/1942. VM Preston served in the Navy as a recruiter from 1942 to 1946, and they moved around in Texas to various locations, including Abilene, where their first son, Marlow R. Preston, was born in 1943. After the war, the family moved to Clinton, Oklahoma, where her husband became general manager and part owner of the local radio station KWOE. Their second son, Daniel Monroe Preston, was born in August 1946. A third son, Ward Ervin Preston, was born to this union in October 1950.

In August of 1952, their son Danny contracted polio while visiting relatives in San Angelo, and for the remainder of his life, he was confined to a wheelchair during the day and an iron lung at night. In order to be closer to the medical facilities of Texas Institute for Rehabilitation and Research in Houston, the family moved to Wharton where VM Preston purchased the weekly newspaper and later established the radio station KANI.

Sue’s life changed radically in 1952 when she became the primary caregiver for her totally dependent son until his death in 1973. During her time in Wharton, she served as the local chairperson for the March of Dimes and was very active in the First Baptist Church of Wharton as well as other charitable community activities.

Because of the devastating loss of their son, the family moved to Dickinson, Texas, and established a local publishing company and two weekly newspapers. With her husband so engaged, Sue took up painting and enrolled in art classes at the nearby colleges. She continued to be active in her church, DAR, and charitable organizations.

After her husband retired in 1987, the family moved to the Lake Travis area to be near both her sons and two granddaughters, Elizabeth Kathleen Preston of Austin and Lauren Ann Preston of Cedar Park. They later moved to Cedar Park and lived there until VM Preston’s death in July 2001. She then entered an assisted living facility due to exhibiting early signs dementia. She resided in various assisted living/nursing home facilities since that time.

Sue was known for her upbeat, positive attitude and strong faith in the Lord. With His help, she led many to a saving knowledge of Christ. She read and studied her Bible and prayed daily prior to the dementia, and she enjoyed sharing her faith with her granddaughters as well as others. She was always ready to join in the fun and loved to travel. She always had a camera and captured many memorable moments for the family to enjoy later. She meticulously labeled and dated these, often adding humorous notes on the back of the photos. An excellent correspondent, she wrote letters to family and friends, and she knew all the names and birthdays of all of them. She was the family’s data base until the memory loss stole her knowledge. She was a wonderful, caring, and inspiring mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, aunt, and cousin.

Survivors include her son Marlow R. Preston and wife Nancy of Georgetown, Texas, granddaughter Elizabeth K. Hall and her husband Jason N. Hall, great grandchildren Jocelynn Elaine Hall and Scott Preston Hall; and son Ward E. Preston and wife Sharon (Devine), granddaughter Lauren Ann Soule and her husband Andrew W. Soule of San Antonio. She was pre-deceased by son Daniel M. Preston and husband V. M. Preston, as well as by her parents and two brothers, Ward S. Albro II and Ames C. Albro. She is survived also by nieces, nephews, and other relatives.

The family wants to thank the attentive and kind caregivers at The Cottages at Chandler Creek as well as the Lighthouse Hospice workers for their loving care of Sue Preston.

Funeral services will be held at Cook-Walden Davis Funeral Home, 2900 Williams Drive, Georgetown, Texas. She will be buried next to her husband of 59 years at Cook-Walden Capital Parks Cemetery Pflugerville just north of Austin on IH 35.

Memorial contributions can be made to Gideons International in honor of Sue Preston.

Arrangements by Cook-Walden Davis Funeral Home, 2900 Williams Drive, Georgetown, Texas 78628 (512)863-2564.