Obituaries James Bairaktaris Obituaries James Bairaktaris

John Ross Preston, 75, Died; Former Westporter

John Ross Preston, beloved brother, father, and grandfather died on October 5, 2022, at the age of 75.


John was born in Benton Harbor, Michigan, on January 17, 1947, along with his twin sister, Susan, to Thomas and Harriet Preston. His father was a World War II veteran who participated in the D-Day landings on the beaches of Normandy. John and his five siblings spent their childhood in St. Joseph, Michigan, where John grew up playing tennis, swimming on the swim team and sailing on the lake.


He attended the University of Michigan, where he met his future wife, Janet Huang, at a party. They married in Ann Arbor in 1970.


John left Michigan for a period to attend the Department of Defense's Language Institute, where he studied Spanish. After a posting in Panama, John and Janet drove north, across Central America and Mexico, and back through the United States.


After John graduated from Michigan in 1973 with a BA in History, he and Janet moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he attended Harvard Business School, earning his MBA in 1975.


They spent their early married years in New York City, and as a young family, moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico, before settling in Westport, Connecticut, where they lived for nearly two decades, raising three children and building a vibrant community of lasting friendships. They returned each summer to St. Joseph, Michigan, where John grew up.


Professionally, John had an accomplished career in corporate finance. He spent 21 years at The Seagram Company in New York, culminating in his role as Senior Vice President and Treasurer. In 2004, John and Janet relocated to Miami where he spent 14 years at Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits as Vice President of Finance and Administration. He was deeply respected by his colleagues who valued his strong moral compass, dry wit and his commitment to mentorship as much as his skills in strategic, operational and financial planning. Many of John's coworkers would become dear and lifelong friends.


In 2016, after 46 years of marriage, Janet passed away, losing a long and heartbreaking battle with dementia.


In 2020, John moved to Portland, Oregon, in close proximity to his son and daughter-in-law and just a block from his older daughter and her family. He enjoyed family dinners most nights and attended nearly all of his granddaughters' games and activities. During the pandemic, John's other daughter and her family came to live with him. For almost a year, all of John's children and grandchildren lived within a few miles of each other and spent time together daily.


John was an avid golfer and voracious reader. He loved Shakespeare, the classics, American and British history, the history of war – particularly the Civil War and the Revolutionary War – and any biography of Abraham Lincoln. He maintained a lifelong love of speaking Spanish. A true autodidact, he never stopped learning.
In recent years, John and his family returned to summering in Michigan where he made a practice of taking his five granddaughters for ice cream every day.


He loved the holidays, especially Christmas, when he always read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to his children, and eventually his grandchildren. He had a sweet tooth, cultivated by his wife Janet's extraordinary baking, and nourished by his daughters and granddaughters, who followed in her footsteps.


He moved to Wilmette, Illinois, shortly before his passing, where he found an apartment overlooking Lake Michigan – the lake he grew up on.


John is survived by his three children, Regan, Lilly, and Wells; their spouses, Jordan, Nik, and Chrissy; his five granddaughters, Maylin, Marlowe, Daphne, Oona, and June; and three of his siblings, Susan Root, Thomas Preston, and Sarah Linthicum.


A memorial for John will be held on December 3, 2022 in Wilmette, Illinois. Details available here: https://johnr preston.wixsite.com/memo rial

Published by the Miami Herald on Oct. 30, 2022.

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Lynn Murray (Lucke) Lutkin, 87, Died; Staples High School Class of ‘52

Lynn Murray (Lucke) Lutkin passed away peacefully on October, 23, 2022. She was born in Flushing, Long Island, NY on November 7, 1934, to Frank Leo Lucke and Marion (Krelwitz) Lucke.

Lynn and her older sister Ann grew up in Wilton CT. After graduating from Staples High School in 1952, Lynn attended and graduated from Green Mountain Junior College in Poultney, VT. She later attended the University of Bridgeport and Colorado State University. Lynn married Russell Dieffenbach in 1957, and they had three sons, Russell, Michael and Paul. She later married Maurice Lutkin, combining her three children and his four children onto one family.

Lynn's earlier years were spent in New Jersey and Connecticut, with later moves to Massachusetts, New York, Montana and finally to Colorado in 1973. She also had a one-year sabbatical in New Mexico. Lynn's passion beyond her family was art in all forms. After finishing school at Green Mountain Junior College, she worked at Norcross Greeting Cards and later at Time-Life. Lynn then began her teaching career in art in the Poudre School District upon her move to Fort Collins, CO in 1973. She taught art at various levels and different schools within the district. She was promoted to Art Administrator for the Poudre School District and maintained that position until retiring. During her career, she was named Art Teacher of the Year in 1983 and served as National Chairperson for the Youth Art Month through NAEA.

After retirement, she continued her passion for teaching by leading art classes at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, CO and at the senior center in Fort Collins. During her retirement, Lynn loved to travel to different countries, with trips to Africa, the Philippines and many European countries. In 2003 she connected with Don Hallowell, a friend of many years who was her partner until his passing in 2016. Lynn was also active in her retirement by attending classes at the senior center in Fort Collins, as a member of a hiking group, book club and bridge club.

Lynn loved being active and social and always had an event to look forward to.

Lynn is survived by her three sons, Russ (Judy) Lutkin, with their children Kyle Lutkin, Mallory Lutkin and Audrey (John) McAndrews and son Mason; Michael (Karrie) Lutkin, children Andrew Lutkin and Jordan (Ryan) Cody with children Cooper, Wyatt and Liam; and Paul (Tammy) Lutkin, with their children Katalyn Lutkin and Leandra Lutkin. She is also survived by her sister Ann, and step-children Chris, Debbie, Chinery and Beth. We love you Mom and rest in peace. A Celebration of Life will be held on Tuesday, November 1 at 11 AM at Allnutt Funeral Home on 650 W Drake Road in Fort Collins.

Published by Greeley Tribune on Oct. 26, 2022.

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Kim Ann Angell Thorstenson, 57, Died; Staples Grad, “tenacity and strength unmatched”

Kimberly 'Kim' Ann Angell Thorstenson- beloved mother, sister, daughter, and friend- passed away on October 22, 2022, at the age of 57 in Chattanooga, TN.



Kimberly grew up in Upstate New York, graduated Staples High School in Westport CT, and attended the American School of Paris while living in France. She graduated with honors in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University in 1987, and earned a masters in business administration from University of TN, Chattanooga.



She was a member and former president of the Kappa Alpha Theta Women's Fraternity, and graduated with numerous accolades and honors. Kimberly also excelled in business, and was recognized as one of the top employees during her career working at IBM.



After moving to Signal Mountain in 1994, Kim invested her time and energy into helping those in need, and acted as a leader in her community. Throughout the years, she was an active member and teacher in the Church, a CASA representative for the Chattanooga Juvenile Courthouse, and served on the Signal Mountain Social Services board in Finance and Development. She was invariably and wholeheartedly dedicated to all of those in her life.



Kimberly's tenacity and strength was unmatched, and her brilliance was evident in every activity she participated in. She will be dearly missed, but will always be remembered for the devotion, authenticity, and kindness she consistently radiated, and will live on through the many lives she continues to touch.



Her family includes daughters Noelle Elizabeth Thorstenson, Jenna Claire Thorstenson, and Kaedra Mae Thorstenson, former husband Jon Thorstenson, parents Carol Dee Angell and David Roger Angell, and sisters Janet Angell Frink, Jennifer Angell Shannon, and Karyn Angell.



Memorial services will be held at Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church (612 James Blvd, Signal Mountain, TN 37377) on Friday, October 28th at 11:00am with The Reverend Dr. Andy Cornett hosting and The Reverend Margaret Ferguson officiating. A reception will follow at the Chattanoogan Hotel (1201 Broad St, Chattanooga, TN 37402) between 2pm and 5pm to congregate and pay respects.



In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Kim's name be made to Signal Mountain Social Services at signalmountainsocialservices.org



Arrangements by Heritage Funeral Home and Crematory, Battlefield Parkway.

Published by Heritage Funeral Homes & Crematory from Oct. 26 to Oct. 28, 2022.

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Martha Ordeman, 97, Died; “grew up in Westport, CT, where she met the love of her life, Skip, on the steps of the YMCA.”

Martha Ordeman, age 97, passed away on May 29, 2022, with her family by her side. Martha grew up in Westport, CT, where she met the love of her life, Skip, on the steps of the YMCA. She attended the University of Connecticut where she became a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. She graduated in 1947. She and Skip were married the same June. They lived most of their early married years in Westport before moving to Dayton in 1963.


While raising five children, Martha still found time to volunteer. She was involved in many organizations such as Dayton Children's Hospital, AFS, Smith Gardens and St. Paul's Episcopal Church's Alter Guild. She was most proud of chairing the group of volunteers from St. Paul's that delivered meals for Meals on Wheels. She was best known for being there to help others in need. Many have enjoyed a meal from Martha delivered on a tray complete with homemade dessert and a flower in a small vase.

She was a competitive person when it came to sports and games. She enjoyed playing golf and bowling throughout her life. She was on the same bowling team, the Alley Cats, for over 50 years. She was a sharp card player. She continued to beat her family in Casino and double solitaire up until her final days. She was also in several bridge groups until 2020 when COVID prevented them from meeting.

Martha was a woman with many talents. She was a wonderful cook, an experienced seamstress and an avid gardener. She knitted beautiful sweaters for her family and made many cross stitch and embroidered items for family and friends. She was quite the "handy woman". She wallpapered, she painted, she made slipcovers and could fix about anything. She was one of the first among her friends to get a computer. After that she became Skip's secretary, typing many letters and notes for him and helping with all the committees he was on.

Skip and Martha traveled to many places in the U.S. and in other countries but their favorite home away from home was their condo on Sanibel Island. There they created many wonderful family memories. They were avid shellers. In their later years, they enjoyed sitting on the porch, looking out at the gulf and watching the younger family members continue the tradition of shelling.

Martha loved her family more than anything. She was a very caring and supportive wife, mom, grandma and great-grandma. She and Skip attended all their kids' activities and attended as many of the grandkids' activities as possible. She was predeceased by her husband Richard "Skip" Ordeman who died in 2020. They were married 72 years. She is survived, dearly missed and remembered by her children Susan Duncan (Jack), Janet Campbell (Doug), Nancy Downey (John), Linda Miller (Mike), Rick Ordeman (Constance), 11 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

The family would like to thank all the caregivers from Loving Senior Home Care and the nurses and therapists from Fidelity that gave Martha such wonderful care. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 22, 2022, at 1:30 PM at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 33 W. Dixon Ave., Oakwood, OH. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Dakota Center, 33 Barnett Street, Dayton, OH 45402 in Martha's memory. To share a special memory or leave a message for the family, please visit www.tobiasfuneralhome.com.

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