What Happened to Preston on ‘Mountain Men’?
What happened to Preston Roberts on Mountain Men? Fans wonder why he’s not seen with Eustace Conway on the Turtle Island Preserve on the History Channel series. Here’s what you need to know about Preston.
What Happened to Preston on Mountain Men?
Preston Roberts was a fixture for the first several seasons of the History Channel show about people living life off the grid and facing the elements. He’s been part of it since Season 1.
If you didn’t know, Preston co-founded the Turtle Island Preserve with his best friend, Eustace Conway. Although born in New Jersey, he wound up in North Carolina and attended high school there.
After serving in the US Air Force, the Mountain Men star graduated from college with an art degree and went on to devote his career as an art teacher in the Wilkes County school system in NC until he retired.
But he also taught outdoor awareness and survival activities during the summers at Turtle Mountain. He was known on the show for crafting handmade knives. For decades, he was best friends with Eustace Conway who was devastated by his death.
Preston passed away suddenly at age 60 on July 24, 2017. Three weeks before his sudden death, he’d been teaching kids at camp. After his passing, The History Channel dedicated nine episodes of MM Season 6 to his “loving memory”. And he was mentioned in subsequent seasons as well.
How did Preston Roberts Die?
Given the abrupt nature of his death, people are curious about how Preston Roberts from Mountain Men died. It was three weeks from the onset of his serious symptoms until he passed away.
Doctors found a large, inoperable tumor on his liver. It blocked blood flow and oxygen to his organs and ultimately took his life. He passed away peacefully, in the arms of his wife, Kathleen Roberts, at age 60 at 3:30 PM on Monday, July 24, 2017.
Doctors found the tumor late-stage so there was no way to treat it or stop its progress. However, an official statement from Turtle Island Preserve said they take “consolation from the fact that his last days were full of family and friends instead of drawn-out suffering”.
Mountain Men star Preston’s remembered as a mentor, teacher, friend, and builder and his loss left a “chasm” in his community. One of the reasons he always said he loved the woods was because there “the rules were the same”.
Mountain Men Star Buried on Turtle Island
If you ever make your way to North Carolina to visit Eustace at Turtle Island in Boone, NC (in the Northwestern part of the state), you can visit Preston Roberts’ grave. They interred him on the mountain that he loved so much. And you can bet Eustance will be happy to reminisce about his friend.
His family laid him to rest on the north side of Morning Watch Hill near the medicine wheel on Turtle Mountain. This is in an often-visited area of the camp so he’ll be often-visited and remembered. His widow Kathleen remains on staff at the nature preserve.
The short video above shows where they buried Preston Roberts. You can see the daffodils they planted in his memory in full bloom. Be sure to watch Mountain Men season 11 on History Channel. And check Soap Dirt for more reality TV news.