Henry Valentine “Val” Preston

Henry Valentine “Val” Preston, 81, of Altoona, formerly of East Brady, passed away on Tuesday.

He was born on June 24, 1938, in East Brady, and was the son of the late Walter and Rose (Crawford) Preston.

Val was lovingly married to Mary Lou Bitter for 52 years. They were wed on July 30, 1966, at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Butler.

Val was a 1956 graduate of East Brady High School.

He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1956 to 1962.

He attended Penn Technical Institute in Pittsburgh, and pursued a career in engineering with Bell Telephone in Altoona. He retired from Verizon in 1998.

Val loved all the special times with his family and friends. We were blessed to have him in our lives and will cherish the memories forever.

Surviving are his wife; a daughter, Leanne Preston of Roseville, Calif., and her daughter, Laura; a son, Christopher and his wife, Maureen Preston, of Towson, Md., and their children, Noah, Maddy, Abby and daughter, Jennifer and her husband, David D'Angelo, of Denver, Colo., and their son, Tennessee; four brothers, Richard of Chicora, Edward of Clarion, Daniel and his wife, Lola, of Kane, and Bill of East Brady; three sisters, Rosemary and her husband, Dave Zimmel, of Chicora, Sister Kathryn Preston, RSM of Erie, and Deborah Hernandez of Venice Beach, Calif.; and many nieces and nephews.

He is also survived by his three sisters-in-law, Kay Ellen Bitter, Roseann Skal and Maureen Bratkovich, all of Butler.

He was preceded in death by two brothers, Robert and Ronald.

PRESTON — Friends of Henry Valentine “Val” Preston, who died Tuesday, July 23, 2019, will be received from 10 a.m. until the 11 a.m. funeral Mass on Saturday at St. Therese of the Child Jesus Catholic Church, 443 Wopsononock Ave., Altoona, with the Rev. D. Timothy Grimme as celebrant.Committal will be at St. Peter's Cemetery in Butler.Arrangements are by the Stevens Mortuary, Altoona.In honor of Val and in lieu of flowers, donations may be made by mail to The Nature Conservancy, Attn: Treasurer, 4245 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203-1606, or the Semper Fi Fund, 825 College Blvd., Suite 102 PMB 609, Oceanside, CA 92057, or to St. Vincent de Paul Society, c/o St. Therese of the Child Jesus Catholic Church, 443 Wopsononock Ave., Altoona, PA 16601.Please visit www.stevensfamilyfuneralhomes.com.