FAYETTEVILLE - Mrs. Gladys Burke Preston, of Fayetteville, passed away on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009, in her home. She was a member of Gardners United Methodist Church, the United Methodist Women and a former member of the Fayetteville Women's Club. She was a retired manager of the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, a lifetime member of the N.C. Federation of Republican Women and past president of Fayetteville Republican Women. She held numerous offices within the Republican Party at the national, state and local levels. She organized and chaired numerous campaign headquarters for GOP candidates as well as the GOP party. She received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine from Gov. James Holshouser Jr. She was preceded in death by her husbands, Joe Burke and Barton Preston; a daughter, Josephine Gonzales; and two sisters, Maggie Patterson and Myrtle Phillips. Funeral services will be held Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009, at 2 p.m. in Gardners United Methodist Church with the Rev. Donald Stewart officiating; burial will follow in Lafayette Memorial Park on Ramsey Street. The family will receive friends from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009, at the church. She is survived by a son, Tommy Burke of Fayetteville; two daughters, Sue Kay and Becky Akers, both of Fayetteville; eight grandchildren, Tammy Mason of Charlotte, Russ Mason III of Fayetteville, Debbie Martinez of Hollister, Calif., Dina LaFebra of Salinas, Calif., Frankie Gonzales of Fayetteville, Jody Akers of Spring Lake, Ronda Sweet of Burke, Va., and Marlon Burke of Florida; 16 great-grandchildren; and nine great-great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Gardners United Methodist Church, 4555 Rosehill Road, Fayetteville, NC 28311. Services entrusted to Jernigan-Warren Funeral Home of Fayetteville.