Gail Dutton Mrs. Preslar

WADESBORO - Mrs. Gail Dutton Preslar, 69, died Wednesday, December 30, 2015 at her home. There will be a service of worship and thanksgiving at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, January 5, 2016 at Long Pine United Methodist Church with Rev. Stephen Shytle and Rev. Warren Lunsford officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. The family will greet friends from 5:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. Monday, January 4, 2016 at Leavitt Funeral Home and other times, at the home. Gail was born December 19, 1946, in Anson County, NC, a daughter of the late Marion Battle Dutton and the late Dorothy Rayfield Dutton. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Edmund 'Eddie' Preslar and brother, Dr. Marion Donnie Dutton. A 1963 graduate of Morven High School, she furthered her education at Appalachian State University, receiving her Bachelor of Science Degree in English Education in 1967 and her Master's Degree in English Education in 1972. She completed all doctoral coursework at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1985. Gail had a long and successful career in public education, having taught at Bowman High School in Wadesboro on two different occasions and also at Hibriten High School in Lenoir. She worked as the Coordinator for Competency Testing Program at Bowman High School, which brought the school's scores from the cellar in the state to the top. This program that she developed was considered a model for accelerating student graduation rates in the 80s. Gail was also the cheerleading coach at Bowman High School, producing several championship squads and many future leaders in various careers. She was asked to become Curriculum Coordinator for the district in mid-career and spent her last decade in education as Associate Superintendent of Anson County Schools. She valued education and devoted herself to improving options in this community. Gail was also a specialist in grant writing; and to her credit, she was able to bring millions of dollars in additional funding to the school system for projects designed to improve education and transform the lives of students. Most recently, she was serving as lead advisor for the Youth CareerConnect STEM Academy at Anson High School, a highly competitive federal grant program awarded to Anson County Schools by the U.S. Department of Labor and written by Preslar and company. Her gift of grant writing enabled her, upon retirement from public schools, to birth Solutions 21, an educational consulting firm specializing in program development, grant-writing, and outcomes evaluation. Many leaders in education continued to contact Gail for her counsel, advice, and event planning and leadership ideas. She found great pleasure in being a mentor for future leaders in education. Gail's grant writing skills were also beneficial to the Anson County Arts Council's restoration of the Ansonia Theatre in Wadesboro and the Hands for Hope organization focusing on empowering local families to become more secure. Gail loved Anson County and believed that each person living here was responsible for making it a community of pride. Among Gail's greatest loves was Long Pine United Methodist Church. As the ancestral place of worship for the Dutton family, generations of Duttons have worshipped and held leadership roles there. Likewise, Gail has served the church for nearly 7 decades in various capacities, including pianist and music worship leader, youth leader, Sunday school teacher, treasurer, chairperson of the church and charge Pastor-Parish Relations Committee, and coordinator of all trustee caretaking. Another major love was family. Gail served as the center of extended family contacts and get-togethers. Her parents wanted the home place in Deep Creek to remain in their family, leading the other 4 siblings to give Gail 'the homeplace' so that family would always be able to 'come home.' She was the one her brothers and sisters knew would always emphasize the importance of family gatherings and ensure that they remain close, knit together with strong ties of Christian and family love. Gail took that role seriously and shared her home freely with family and friends, always directing celebrations in a way that only she could do. Surviving are her son, Mike (Kathy) Preslar of Norwood and her grandchildren, Michael and Lauren; her brother and sisters - Charles (Marcia) Dutton of Lake Charles, LA, Judy Poulnott of Wadesboro, and Kathy (Joel) Carroll of Hudson; her sister-in-law, Libby Dutton of Springdale, AR. She was also surrounded by her nieces and nephews - Lynn Byrd of Germantown, TN; Mark Dutton of Fayetteville, AR; Steve Dutton of Locust; Tammie Mills, Kay Jones and Patti Poulnott of Wadesboro; Scott Dutton of Denver, CO; and Jody Gregory of Lenoir - and their families. The family thanks special friends who, through the years, have made Gail's life much more pleasant and productive-Cynthia Marshall and Edward Simon. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Long Pine United Methodist Church, 8472 HWY 109 S, Wadesboro, NC 28170. Leavitt Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be made at www.leavittfuneralhomewadesboro.com