Preston Patrick Smith

A celebration of the life of Preston Patrick Smith will be held Saturday, October 11th, 2014 at 2:00PM at First Presbyterian Church, located at 112 S. Salisbury St. in downtown Raleigh. Dr. Ed McLeod will officiate. A reception will follow in Memorial Hall at the Church. Preston passed away Monday, October 6 2014 at the age of thirteen. Preston was born August 10, 2001 at Duke Hospital in Durham, NC. He attended Frankie Lemmon Preschool and Brooks Elementary in Raleigh, NC. Born with congenital heart defects, Preston fought bravely and was a precious soul to all who knew and loved him. Preston was a gift of love, a symbol of strength, a courageous fighter and a true light. Preston is survived by his parents, Ryan and Kimberly Smith and sister Ella of Raleigh, NC. Grandparents Helen Tewkesbury Hinds (Bob Hinds) of Aiken, SC; Jim Crenshaw (Jane Edwards Crenshaw) of Raleigh, NC; Mac Smith of Hampton, SC. He is also survived by his Uncle Bo Crenshaw (Emile Crenshaw) of Aiken, SC. His Aunt Tamara Herber (Matthew Herber) of Atlanta, GA. Preston has six cousins. Preston was pre-deceased by his grandmother Janice Wessinger. Preston’s life centered around food. He loved to eat. He knew exactly what he liked and had very specific tastes. Preston thought carefully about each and every meal. He also enjoyed collecting special things like Dr. Who, Godzilla, and other unique items, especially nostalgic memorabilia. He was very fascinated w/ anything “as seen on TV.” Everything Preston did had to be exact. He was very OCD and had to have things organized, neat and tidy. Preston enjoyed the outdoors, often collecting rocks leaves and other objects of nature. He enjoyed squirting the hose at bumblebees, riding his scooter (that he outgrew years ago) and playing putt-putt. He loved soaking in the bath, anytime of day. If not eating or bathing, Preston would play games for hours on the iPad or watch YouTube videos. He was also a typical big brother to his younger sister, Ella. Among Preston’s favorite things was his mom. He was her shadow and sidekick. His health left him unable to attend school for the last two years. Instead, he spent considerable time exploring the aisles at Target and the grocery stores, tagging along doing everyday errands. He enjoyed his trips to Myrtle Beach and Aiken, SC to visit his grandparents. He had a fascination with maps and was quite a little fountain of knowledge about states and capitals, recently with an intense focus toward visiting Delaware. For several years, Preston has been anxious about turning 13…so he could “legally” watch PG-13 movies. Old movies were another passion of his. Preston had numerous challenges in life, both mental and physical. Through it all…he had a great outlook and never looked at himself as being challenged. He was undeniably special to all those who knew him. His unique charm will never be forgotten. In lieu of flowers, Family request memorial donations be made to: Culver S. Scales Senior Major Gifts Officer Duke Children’s Development 710 W. Main Street, Suite 200 Durham, NC 27701 919-385-3133 culver.scales@duke.edu

Preston Patrick Smith

August 10, 2001 - October 6, 2014