Thomas J. Preen's Obituary
Thomas J. Preen, 62, passed away peacefully on March 9, 2016 at Suncoast Hospice House, with his loving wife, Sophia, by his side. Tom was born on June 2, 1953 to George and Helene (Parkinson) Preen, in Philadelphia, Pa. Tom grew up in Barrington, NJ, and followed his parents to St. Petersburg, Fl, in 1977. He worked in the newspaper printing department with the St. Petersburg Times, then on to the Chicago Tribune. He found Chicago much too cold, and returned to Florida to work for the Sarasota Herald.
Tom had a passion for fishing, and enjoyed going to the Sunshine Skyway and Ft Desoto to try to catch the big one. He also was an avid sports fan. Tom enjoyed following all of the Philadelphia, Chicago, and Tampa Bay teams, especially the Lightning. He took pride in his vast collection of various sports teams hats that he had collected through the years.
He married the love of his life, Sophia Jagla, from Bydgoszcz, Poland, on July 23, 2002. Besides Sophia, Tom is survived by his brother, George, his nieces, Jennifer and Katie, and nephew, Joe, as well as many cousins and loving friends.
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