History Channel
History Channel’s Mountain Men aims to teach basic survival skills in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Three years ago, on July 24, 2017, one of the main cast members, Preston Roberts, died, and Eustace Conway still mourns his friend today.
Roberts died with his wife and family at his side at 60 years old. The naturalist was known for his love for the outdoors and his commitment to teaching. He died from complications from a liver tumor.
Mountain Men follows the lives and struggles of several families as they live off the grid in Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, Maine and North Carolina. The show airs on Thursday nights at 9 p.m.
Conway Said Preston’s Support Was the “Best Thing” He Ever Had in His Life
In a tribute written for the Turtle Island Preserve, Eustace Conway wrote about how he felt about losing his best friend and talked about his support and friendship in his life.
“Because Preston was such a giving, supportive person, he helped many thousands of students and friends, always improving their life,” Conway wrote.
Conway continued, saying that he had never met a more genuine person than his best friend and had never witnessed a man who loved his wife “more generously and completely and committedly than Preston loved Kathleen.”
He called for donations to the GoFundMe in honor of Roberts and thanked everyone who had already donated, saying that they used some of the donated money to fix the leaking roof on Roberts’ house.
Conway Said Roberts Was One of “The Most Manly Men” He Ever Met
In the tribute to his friend, Conway said Roberts was “one of the most manly men” he’d ever met and said he would want him at his back in any fight.
“Yet I want to leave you with a rare and intimate photograph of Preston half-naked in winter, wearing a pink tutu trying to bring a smile to the face of his beloved wife Kathleen as she was battling her own cancer,” he wrote. “His plan worked! She smiled, and made it. Preston’s love for Kathleen and good work knew no boundaries.”
He finished the post with a quote about crying, and said he was still crying about the unexpected death of his friend.
Conway also shared a photo of his best friend on Facebook after passing, leaving a message with the post.
“Rest easy Preston James Roberts,” he wrote. “Due to complications from an inoperable tumor on his liver, Preston Roberts took his last breath at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, July 24, 2017 – in the arms of his beloved wife Kathleen, surrounded by family and loved ones.”
He wrote that the loss they were feeling was “indescribable” and said that Turtle Island would host a celebration of life ceremony for the Mountain Man.
In one of the first episodes of season 7, the first season of Mountain Men without his friend by his side, Conway struggled. He was still reeling from the loss of his right-hand man and was having a hard time working their lumber business alone. He couldn’t meet orders without assistance.
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