Elaine Ringle Fields
February 11, 1943 – July 22, 2018
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Elaine Ringle Fields was the second of five children produced by the marriage of William Lawrence Ringle and Dorothy Welte Ringle.
Elaine grew up in Pittsburgh, the famed “steel” city whose depression-era parents like William and Dorothy taught their children the dignity of work, the value of money and the importance of faith and family. They forged these values into Elaine, who would later pass them on to her daughters.
Elaine graduated from Langley High School and thereafter attended Southside School of Nursing, where she received an RN in 1962. Ever the adventurous spirit, Elaine became a traveling nurse with the Gulf Oil Corporation, where she met and was courted by a tall Texan, John Roy Fields.
Elaine and John wed in 1966 and moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where they had three beautiful daughters, Adrienne, Jennifer and Heather. The brood packed up and left for the Lone Star State in 1973. On weekends, the family and their dogs, Toby and Mickey, crammed into the station wagon – and later the family van – and drove from Houston to their bay house in Bolivar. Adrienne and Heather still cherish their memories of crabbing, fishing, swimming and boat riding on the bay.
In addition to raising three wonderful girls, Elaine honed her nursing skills, developing expertise in Orthopedics, Home Health, Case Management and Marketing. She later started her own case management business. Had she been born in a different era, her ambition, business acumen and work ethic may well have landed her in the C-Suite of a Fortune 500 Company.
Elaine inculcated her drive for success and the importance of education into her daughters, all of whom obtained bachelor’s degrees. Tragically, Jennifer passed away in 2009. In the dark days that followed, Elaine fought through her grief and devoted her time to family, especially her youngest grandchild, Jacob.
Elaine was an adventurous, extraordinarily devoted, fearlessly independent woman. She was strong-willed, perhaps even stubborn. Those qualities sometimes frustrated those who loved her, but they also endeared her to us.
Elaine is survived by her husband, John Fields, her three sisters, Diane Guyton, Barbara Sella, and Mary Beth Brueckman Lobozzo, as well as her two brothers, Bill and Mark Ringle. She is also survived by her two grandsons, Jacob Cole Fields, born to her daughter, Heather Fields, and Joshua Michael Clark, born to Adrienne and her husband, Ray Clark. Finally, Elaine is survived by her granddaughter, Rachel Clark, who shares her grandmother’s ambition, fearless independence and obstinance.
Elaine departed this earth on July 22, 2018, to be reunited in the Kingdom of Heaven with her daughter, Jennifer, where they will dwell for all eternity with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Thank you, Elaine, for blessing our lives, challenging us and devoting yourself relentlessly to our betterment. We miss you already.
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