Preston Adkins Atwood, 99

Providence, R.I.

Preston died in his sleep at Bethany Home on December 27, 2021. Born in Providence in 1922, he was the son of Ernest Preston Brown and Ellen Adkins Atwood. He and his beloved wife Lois, who died in 2019, met in 1945 when he was stationed in her hometown of Macon, Ga., and were married for 72 years. An active hiker and yachtsman, he and Lois had traveled widely. He had been board member, race committee chair, and fleet captain at Edgewood Yacht Club. He was a graduate of Brown University and served in the Army Air Corps in World War II and a senior financial consultant at Merrill Lynch before his retirement in 1991 after 45 years in the investment business. Preston was a communicant and former vestry member at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church and an active member of “The Players” at Barker Playhouse since 1954, acting in 35 plays and serving as president of the club and of the Barker Foundation. A life member of the Providence Art Club, he was awarded the Art Club Medal in 1994. He was a playwright, and his “Mr. Acorn” was performed by the Players. He also wrote eight Art Club Christmas shows and acted in many others. He served on the Trinity Repertory Theater and Friends of Brown University Theater boards. A member of Save the Bay, the Audubon Society, and the Netopian Club, he also served on the board of the Bethany Home Foundation. Preston was friendly and beloved by all. In his 99th year, he wrote a memoir of his life. He is survived by two sons, David A. Atwood {Nancy Reuschel) and John B. Atwood (Beth Wald); and by grandchildren Paul, Judie and Jacob Atwood.