November 10, 1932 – December 3, 2023
Donald P. Fields of Brooksby Village in Peabody, formerly of Reading and Somerville, died on December 3, 2023, in his 91st year. He was predeceased in death by his wife of 50 years, Joan (Daniels) Fields, and their son Brian P. Fields. Donald was the son of Harold M. Fields and Hilda M. Aikens, both from Somerville and now deceased. He is survived by his sister Carol A. Hutchinson and his brother-in-law R. David Hutchinson along with numerous nieces and nephews, great-nieces and nephews, and 15 great-great nieces and nephews.
Mr. Fields from Textron Systems Division in Wilmington, where he held numerous managerial positions in Systems Analysis, Systems Test, Final Assembly and Acceptance Tests. He co-authored and presented at Astronautical Symposiums numerous technical reports on manned missions to the moon and unmanned missions to Venus, Mars and Grand Tour missions to the Outer Planets.
He was an avid gardener and, each year, grew and planted several thousand annuals which he and Joan nurtured in the numerous flower beds around their Reading home.
Mr. Fields was also an enthusiastic genealogist, photographer, and traveler and, along with Joan, parlayed these interests into numerous trips to Italy to conduct genealogy research on her family back to the late 1400s and to photograph the works of the great Italian Master Sculptors and Painters and the Cathedrals, Basilica, Churches, Palaces and buildings erected in Roman times.
Don and Joan contributed numerous articles on Italian Genealogy and Italian travel to the Post Gazette, Boston’s Italian Newspaper, and wrote several articles on Italian Genealogy published by the New England Historic Genealogy Society and an article on Don’s Canadian and Colonial Ancestry. Joan and Don wrote Genealogies on their respective families, which they donated to The New England Historic Genealogy Society which published them. Donald was a charter member of the Italian Genealogy Society of America and past Vice President.
A visitation will be held at the Brooksby Village Chapel, 100 Brooksby Village Dr. Peabody, on Friday, December 8 from 4-7pm. A Memorial Service will be held in the Chapel on Saturday, December 9 at 11AM. Burial will be private in Wood End Cemetery in Reading. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Donald’s name to the Brooksby Village Benevolent Care Fund at 100 Brooksby Village Dr. Peabody, MA 01960.
