Obituary of Barbara Lee Preston

Barbara Lee (Briglia) Preston, 72, passed away peacefully on her birthday, April 14, 2022. Barb set out each day to create beauty in the world. She cherished spending time with her family and friends, agate hunting on the north shore, playing cards at the cabin in Cotton, and 4-wheeling in the Arizona desert. Her love for painting, jewelry making, gardening, sewing, and design had no bounds. She was always planning her next creative project and preparing for an adventure. Barb ended each day with a tour of her Queendom, admiring the labors of her love around her yard and many gardens. Barb traveled throughout her young adult life living in big and small cities across the country before settling in her hometown of Duluth. In the 80’s she worked as a stained glass artisan and a real estate agent with the Overman Company. On August 1, 1985, Barb met her soul mate, Paul Preston, while attending a real estate golf outing at Ridgeview Country Club. They married 6 months later. As the beloved homemaker and glue for her family, she still found time to work alongside Paul in their real estate businesses (renting, financing & flipping properties) in Minnesota and Arizona. She was preceded in death by her parents, Pasquale A. (Pac) and Patricia Briglia. She is survived by her husband of 36 years and best friend, Paul Preston; daughters, Jenny Meyer, Courtney (Steve) Taylor, Whitney Preston; sisters Sandra Francis, Nicole LeMasurier, Kimberly (David) Whittaker; grandchildren, Nikota and Sienna Meyer, Sofia and Evelynn Taylor; and stepson Shane (Shannon) Evenson and family. The family wishes to thank the wonderful nurses, support personnel, and volunteers at St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth, to Dr. Silva and the superb staff at St. Luke’s Oncology & Hematology Associates for their loving and concerned care. CELEBRATION OF LIFE: 3 p.m. on Monday, May 2, 2022, at Ridgeview Country Club, 700 W Redwing St., Duluth, MN 55803. Interment 1 p.m. on May 3, 2022, at Forest Hill Cemetery.