Tributes

After brightening the world with her light and love for seventy-three years, Lynn Preston passed away on Monday, July 7 in Huntersville, North Carolina. Lynn was the daughter of Warren and Doris Sempell, and she grew up with her younger brother Steve and younger sister Kim near Pocantico Hills, New York. Lynn worked hard in school, had a beautiful singing voice that she contributed to the choir, and was a supportive cheerleader rooting hard for her teams. Lynn was good with numbers, and even better with people, and she used those two skills to launch her career after high school as a bank officer. In 1982, she married Gordon Preston, and, three years later, welcomed her first daughter Jennifer (Jenn). Their family would be completed in 1989 with the addition of a second daughter, Amanda. Lynn continued using her math and people skills during her diverse career as a bookkeeper, realtor, and municipal finance officer and her volunteer pursuits as the perpetual Vice President of the Parent Teacher Association at her daughters' schools and supporting the local library. However, the calling that brought her the most joy was that of mom. She loved Jenn and Amanda fiercely at the same time as she pushed them to be the best they could be. She was their first teacher, taking a pause from her career to teach them numbers and letters. Most importantly, she taught them to be kind and to care for others around them, while also being persistent and, dare we say, stubborn when the situation called for it. Throughout their years in K-12 and post-secondary education, she never stopped being their biggest cheerleader. Lynn was happy when the family expanded to include John Carroll, who married Jenn, and Jacob Sloan, who married Amanda. She was over the moon when her first grandchild, Jerald (Jay) Carroll arrived in 2019. She could watch him for hours as he ran around being a busy and chaotic toddler, and, when he learned to talk, would happily discuss dinosaurs, trains, and rocketships ad nauseum. Lynn leaves behind a family that will love and cherish their memories with her, including her husband, her daughters, her sons-in-law, and her grandson. She is also survived by her siblings and several nieces and nephews. Lynn passed away knowing that her family would expand later this year with the arrival of two new grandchildren. While she will not meet them, they will undoubtedly know about her, how much she loved them before they were even born, and how she taught their moms everything they know about how to be a mother who supports her children unconditionally. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 19, 2025, from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm at Cavin-Cook Funeral Home in Mooresville, NC. In lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful for any donations made in Lynn's honor to the National Kidney Foundation. Cavin-Cook Funeral Home is proudly serving the Preston family.

Tributes

Lynn Preston

October 4, 1951 - July 7, 2025