Friends remember 2 from E. Northport killed in crash

Victoria Preston was a dedicated business woman, volunteer and mother who always had time to help a friend in need, said family friends who gathered Sunday at the Preston home in East Northport.

Preston's father-in-law, Theodore, was a gentleman and churchgoer who loved to tell stories about his late wife, they said.

The friends spent Sunday tending to the Preston home and remembering Victoria and Theodore, who died in a car crash Friday evening on the Northern State Parkway on their way to a family member's wedding rehearsal in Queens.

Diana Aybar, who spent Sunday at the house, said, "You'd kick off your shoes when you were here, and you were home."

Two family members were injured in the crash, State police said.

The driver of the car, Michael Preston, 49, who is Victoria's husband and Theodore's son, was in Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola Sunday, his condition upgraded to good, said a hospital spokesman.

The Prestons' son, Daniel, 12, was released Sunday from Nassau University Medical Center, a spokesman said.

State police have said Preston was driving west on the Northern State about 6:30 p.m. when he lost control of his car, entered woods and hit a tree east of Exit 27 in North Hills. Police declined to comment Sunday on the status of any investigation.

Victoria Preston was a certified public accountant who founded her own financial services business, Corporate Controller Services, in East Northport about seven years ago, said Kathleen Ennis of North Babylon, a friend and co-worker.

"She worked 16, 17 hours a day. She held it all together," said Mary DeBonis of Melville, another friend and co-worker. "If you ever needed someone to talk to, she would drop everything."

Preston was a member of the Chamber of Commerce and of a high school football booster group, and the family belongs to the Northport Yacht Club, where Daniel is a member of the swim team, friends said.

Preston, originally from Manhasset, graduated from Hofstra University, friends said.

"She leaves behind such a void," said Meryl Katz of East Northport, a friend and co-worker.

Theodore Preston, 87, was a member of St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church in East Northport, friends said. He lived with Michael and Victoria Preston at their East Northport home.

Theodore was "always active," and frequently could be seen outside doing yard work, DeBonis said.

"He was a staple in the neighborhood," said Aybar, of East Northport, a friend and co-worker of Victoria's.

DeBonis said family friends have been in touch with Michael Preston. In his "own words, he lost his two best friends, his dad and his wife," she said.