Singer, Actress. A pretty blonde, she is remembered for her numerous Broadway musical appearances. Born Esther Stomne, she was raised in Maplewood, New Jersey from an early age and graduated from Maplewood High School in 1950 and from Vassar College in 1954; though she intended a career in education, she still enjoyed singing and thus accepted an offer to tour with Fred Waring’s band, The Pennsylvanians, taking the stage name ‘Preshy’ which was her father’s pet name for her. She was to appear in the Broadway revues “Hear! Hear!” (1955) and the 1956 “Ziegfeld Follies”, then ater joining composer Hugh Martin’s eponymous ensemble, was a guest on the “Steve Allen Show”, and was even seen in a 1959 episode of “Death Valley Days”. She was to be heard in several Broadway musicals both on tour and on the Great White Way, her credits including “Calamity Jane”, “Li’l Abner”, “Oklahoma!”, and “Brigadoon”, though her most noted role was that of Philia in the 1962 original production of Stephen Sondheim’s “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”, a piece starring Zero Mostel which had an opening run of more than 900 performances. Following her 1966 marriage to Marc Reyna, Preshy essentially retired and devoted herself to her family, though in the 1990s she returned to the classroom as a special education teacher. She was active in her church and lived out her days in Southern California. At her demise she could be heard on the original cast album of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”. (bio by: Bob Hufford)