John Linnartz Preston of Westport Point, Massachusetts died on February 21, 2010 at age 79 after a long and difficult struggle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease). He was born in Marion, Ohio on September 12, 1930, spent his first six years in Miami, Florida, and lived from 1937 to 1948 in the small coal-mining town of Ishpeming, Michigan. He was active in Boy Scouts, achieving the rank of Eagle Scout and traveling by troop ship to the 1947 World Boy Scout “Jamboree of Peace” held in France. John excelled at academics, and was captain of his high school’s championship debating team and co-valedictorian of his class in 1948. He was also active in the school’s mixed chorus, and sang in a double octet. In 1952, he earned a B.E. in Engineering from Yale University, where he was a member of Tau Beta Pi, the national honor society for engineering technology, and recipient of the Chester Harding Plimpton Prize from the Sheffield Scientific School of Engineering. He was a member of the Yale Glee Club and the Yale Debating Association. He received an M.E. in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA in 1954.
A member of ROTC and recipient of the Distinguished Military Student Award at Yale, he entered the United States Air Force as a First Lieutenant in 1954, based at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. In November 1954, John married Katharine (Kathie) Hall who he had met while studying at MIT. He retired from the Air Force in 1956 and began a long career as an electrical engineer, working at Feedback Controls in Waltham, MA, and Arthur D. Little in Cambridge, MA before settling into a twenty-seven year career with Instron Corporation in Canton, MA, where he served as Director of Quality, Director of Engineering, and Vice-President of Engineering. His job gave him an opportunity to travel extensively throughout Asia and Europe; whenever possible, he would extend the trips to travel with Kathie.
Growing up on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, John grew to love an outdoor life—hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, and sailing a small boat on an inland lake. Over time, his relationship to the outdoors evolved: he enjoyed hiking the White Mountains during his MIT days, and became an avid birder and ardent environmentalist. During his retirement years he served on the board of the Westport River Watershed Alliance, an environmental group in Westport, MA, serving as its president for 2 years. He loved sailing and spent many happy hours being on or near the water. He and his wife also spent many hours and days in U.S. Wildlife Refuges, National Parks, and other wilderness areas enjoying their love of bird-watching and simply savoring the beauty around them, both in Westport and around the country. His love of music also continued, although he traded singing for the autoharp and hammered dulcimer. His politics evolved as well: he was an opponent of the Vietnam War and active in the Civil Rights Movement, and remained a consistent, principled advocate for peace and social justice.
John devoted his life to taking care of those around him. He leaves his wife, Kathie, two daughters, Elizabeth (Liz) who lives in Westhampton, MA with her partner, Cindy White; and Anne who lives in Seattle, WA with her partner, Kathleen Conroy. He also leaves nieces and a nephew, and their children. His smile, ready sense of humor, and intelligence will be greatly missed. A private burial and memorial service will be held later in the summer. In lieu of flowers, gifts in his memory may be made to The Westport River Watershed Alliance, 1151 Main Rd., Westport 02790; The Westport Land Conservation Trust, 1100 Main Rd. in Westport, or the Nature Conservancy, Suite 100, 4245 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA. 22203-1606.