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.