Obituary of William Frederick Preston

WATERLOO - William "Bill" Frederick Preston, age 67, of Waterloo, NY, passed away after a long, hard-fought battle with cancer on Wednesday, August 2, 2023 at Thompson Health Hospital in Canandaigua, NY surrounded by family. Bill was the son of James Preston and Helen Margaret "Sue" Forsyth. He loved his family and grandkids immensely. He is survived by his devoted wife, Pamela C Preston; his mother; son Lee Nelson (Nicole, his very special daughter-in-law), son Greg Nelson (Kim), and bonus daughter Shana Belcher (Trevor); sister Janet Preston (Walt); grandchildren Johanna Nelson, Florence Nelson, Jessica Ignizio, Kayla Feeney, Abigail Nelson, and Dylan Belcher; niece Vickie Buehler; cousins Scott Dennis & Mary Swanson; and a host of wonderful friends. Bill was preceded in death by his father; his sister Susan Buehler; and his loving wife Linda Cole Preston. Bill was passionate about antique cars, especially pre-WWII. He was a member of several antique car clubs and loved planning and touring with his cars and friends. He was also an avid fan of Syracuse College basketball, and he loved his home of 61 years where he spent countless hours making memories and entertaining those he loved. Bill was a mechanical engineer and spent most of his career at Kodak, and then went on to do contract work at several other places until his retirement in 2016. He also volunteered his spare time to give back to his community. He served as a board member for the Waterloo Library and Historical Society, he was very active in the Memorial Day Celebration each year and would drive one of his antique cars to chauffeur a President Roosevelt impersonator, and his bodyguard, in the annual parade. He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and community alike. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Waterloo Library and Historical Society. The Celebration of Life will be 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday (September 23) at the family home, 1 S. Seneca St., Waterloo, NY. Condolences and remembrances may be sent to http://www.coegenungfuneralhome.com.