First Thoughts

When Julie contacted me on the morning of September 11th, I was speechless and in shock at the news of the death of a good friend. Though I had only really known Preston a couple of years we were in contact weekly, often daily, discussing shared interests, planning projects, or exploring the hidden history of Charlottesville. When Julie phoned I had just hit "send" on an email to Preston discussing an upcoming slideshow we were working on.

I was just numb from the news all day.  The next day on my Charlottesville Then and Now website I was able to find these words for my first thoughts on losing this good friend:




"On the evening of September 10, 2012 I lost a good friend.  Preston Coiner, a life long resident of Charlottesville and a man with an unparalleled love and appreciation for his home town, died at his home in North Downtown.

He was a partner with me in exploration of Charlottesville's past and an entertaining storyteller, never hesitant to to offer up another interesting bit of local history or an amusing recollection from his own storied past. He supported my various local history projects and was a contributor to this website.

Preston was an amazing resource and worked tirelessly to gather more photographs, historical details, and great stories to share.  We worked together on several slideshows and exhibits and had more we were currently working on.   

While he was serious and passionate about his work (paid or volunteer) he had a very warm and happy spirit.  He had a kindness and decency that I will always remember. As I know all his friends and family will, I am going to miss his friendship more than I can say.

My heart goes out to Julie, Catherine and Sharon and all of his family and friends."

                                                                                                    
Steve Trumbull

Preston earlier this year in his office on High Street, Charlottesville