Preston Lee Aldridge, Jr.

Preston Lee Aldridge, Jr., 84, of Colonial Heights passed away peacefully on Friday, December 8, 2023. Born in Petersburg, Virginia on August 23, 1939, he was the son of the late Nellie Kathleen Eanes and Preston Lee Aldridge, Sr. He was a longtime member of Rosewood Presbyterian Church.

Preston attended Thomas Dale High School and became an avid baseball player. He then went on to the Carolina Leagues and later signed with the New York Mets as a left-handed pitcher in the early 1960s. Illness in his family brought him back home, where he secured a job as a supervisor with the Virginia Department of Transportation, where he retired after many dedicated years of service. His love for baseball never ended, as he coached his son and grandsons in several little leagues in Colonial Heights. He also helped coach the Colonial Heights High School baseball team for several years.

Preston was also an avid hunter. He enjoyed the outdoors and taught his son and grandsons the skills of hunting. He truly enjoyed being in the woods with his son and grandsons.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Nancy Hall Aldridge; son, Preston Lee Aldridge III and wife, Tina; grandsons, Preston Lee Aldridge IV (Bubbie) and wife, Ellen, Franklin Dale Aldridge; two great-grandchildren, Bryce Lee Aldridge and Maysn Ann Aldridge; and other extended family members. The family would like to extend their deepest gratitude to the staff of Brighter Living Memory Care and his hospice nurse, Emily, for their extraordinary care of Preston in his time of need.

A graveside service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, December 15, 2023 in Blandford Cemetery, 319 S. Crater Road, Petersburg, Virginia 23803. The family will receive friends from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Thursday night, December 14, 2023 at the Colonial Heights Chapel of E. Alvin Small Funeral Homes and Crematory, 2033 Boulevard. Condolences may be registered at www.ealvinsmall.com