Valentine’s Day Reflections

Mom and DadOn February 14, 1949, Francis William Preston married Marguerite Lee Brown in a nuptial Mass celebrated at Corpus Christi Church in Wethersfield, Connecticut.  The groom was 29 years old and the bride was 25, each a bit older than the majority of their contemporaries.  Both had served in the United States Navy during World War II, then met singing in a church choir after the war.

Fran and Marguerite were the parents of five children, raising their brood first in Wethersfield and then in Chatham, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod.  Fran worked mainly as a meat cutter while Marguerite devoted most of her efforts to caring for their family.  They were married for 26 years when Marguerite died in 1975 at the age of 51, much too soon.  Fran continues to live on Cape Cod and, at the age of 93, is still a very active part of the community.  He volunteers to visit shut-ins, he sings for nursing home residents with a group from his church and he still participates in ceremonies for Veterans’ Day and Memorial Day celebrations, where he wears his Navy uniform.Updated photo 2016

Fran and Marguerite’s eldest daughter, Katherine, and her husband, Donnie, are the owners of the Isaiah Jones Homestead Bed & Breakfast in Sandwich, Massachusetts, not far from Fran’s home.  Katherine says she owes her love of cooking to the lessons she learned as a child from Marguerite in the kitchen.  This year on Valentine’s Day, Katherine will spend a good portion of the day with her father, each re-telling tales from Valentine’s Days in the past when Fran and Marguerite were celebrating their anniversaries.  The rest of the day will be spent with Donnie, sharing some quiet time together and a special dinner at home.

Valentine memories should be cherished, indeed, and we hope that this day brings some lasting ones to you.

6 thoughts on “Valentine’s Day Reflections

  1. Katherine,
    What a beautiful story. Enjoyed hearing more about your dad, as you have spoken of him often during our visits. Hope you had a great day with your him and a much deserved quiet night with Donnie. May you be blessed with many more years with your dad.

  2. I love the photos and the wonderful story. Your Dad looks the same as he did when he got married. The only thing missing is a photo of you and Donnie.

  3. Your story brings back happy memories when we visited you with dad. I remember getting starfish in the ocean.

  4. Is there any chance that this is the same Fran Preston that was remarried to Annie (Fleck) (Bettencourt) (Williams) Preston? My father used to correspond with Annie (very distant cousins) occasionally until she passed away at the end of 2008 and Fran wrote him a message noting his wife had passed. If so, I’d like to forward the article to my dad as I’m sure he’d love to read it to know more about Fran!

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