Local educator Redell Fields turns 90

Posted

Redell Fields, native of Colleton County, celebrated her 90th birthday with a drive-through parade hosted by her children and grandchildren on Sunday Oct. 18.
“I found out that something special was happening at 10:30 that day. My daughter Jessica Williams called and told me to look pretty and sit on the porch,” said Fields. “My family had me sit on the porch facing the street as the parade went by. I waved at everybody. The cars passed and everyone waved back at me; there were probably 50 or more cars. I was sitting there for quite a while and the fire truck was at the end. It was a wonderful surprise,” Fields saidd.
Born in 1930, Mrs. Fields was the youngest child of 14 children. “We had a midwife in those days when I was born and one birth record says Oct. 10 but my mother wrote down the 14th, so I celebrate two birthdays,” laughed Fields.
Times were hard in those days. She remembers working on her Dad’s farm, not having proper shoes to walk to school and packing ice and potatoes in the ground to preserve for the winter.
Later, Fields became a dedicated mother, aunt, grandmother and great-grandmother who supports her family in all of their endeavors. She is the matriarch of her family, stressing to them that faith in God, hard work and perseverance are the keys to success in life. Her daughters remember as they were growing up, their mom was always helping others who were in need. She would make dinner for the elderly and take it to them to ensure they had a hot meal to eat.

Her children include: Cathy Alston and husband Anthony Alston; Curtis Fields, Hattie Jones and Jessica F. Williams and her husband Minister Tony Williams. Fields has a number of grandchildren, great-grands, nieces, nephews and cousins.
Fields has served as a community leader through her service as a teacher for 40 years, supervisor of Special Education for the Colleton County School District and CCSD School Board member for eight years. She also volunteered in the gift shop at Colleton Medical Center for three years.
A member of the Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Walterboro, she served in multiple capacities in the church: church clerk, helped establish a senior day camp along with Bernetha Williams, participant in the Women’s Missionary Society for years, director of the Food Share Ministry and director of the youth ministry, as well as the central banking chairperson and director of Vacation Bible School. She is currently a member of the Senior Choir and is a deaconess.
“The Lord has blessed me, and I give Him the praise,” said Fields.
“My mother is so special,” said daughter Jessica Williams, assistant superintendent of education for Colleton County School District. “She is truly a virtuous woman as described in Proverbs 31,” said Williams. “She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.” Proverbs 31:27-31.