Barbara E. Field

Barbara Eileen Field (nee May) passed away on November 25, 2018 in San Rafael, California.  She was born in Plymouth, England on October 13, 1923 and grew up in England during the Great Depression. Barbara was living in London during the Battle of Britain.  Her family’s home was lost in the bombings and they moved to Whitsand Bay, Cornwall, where she became enthralled with the sun, sea and sand.

She married the love of her life, David Field in 1952.  David was in the British Royal Corps of Engineers and stationed in Egypt.  The Egyptian coup d’etat of 1952 spelled the end of British colonialism in Egypt and Barbara was sent home with all the British civilians, while David remained in Egypt until 1953.

In 1955, David and Barbara moved from England to the United States and settled in Terre Haute, Indiana.  David was an architect who helped design award winning dormitories for Indiana State University, while Barbara made a lovely home and raised four children, Sarah, Patricia, Roger and Sheila at Lakewood Lake in Riley.

In 1974, the Field family moved to Mishawaka, Indiana, where David had a job with Sollitt Construction of South Bend.  Barbara found work as a bookkeeper in South Bend, then in Elkhart, where she worked until 1986, when David passed away unexpectedly.

In 1987, Barbara moved to Fort Walton Beach, Florida to return to the sun, sea and sand.  But she wasn’t happy there and longed to be with family.  Sheila invited “Mummy” to come to Houston to help her with her baby.  Barbara moved to Marin County California with Sheila in 1995 to continue helping raise her two girls, Lindsay and Savannah.

Barbara was an avid card player and loved playing poker or Gin Rummy with her family.  She was a golfer who followed Tiger Woods’ career.  When her children were growing up she always helped with homework and made sure we all knew our arithmetic tables, proper pronunciation and grammar.  In her later years, she loved to sit in the sun and read or watch the network news.  She always wanted to hear the latest news from her kids and would relay our stories to the other siblings.

Surviving Barbara are her four children, Sarah (Joe) Doner, Patricia (Bob) Ravasio, Roger (Kate) Field and Sheila Field; eleven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. 

The Field Family is immensely grateful to the Nazareth House in San Rafael and to Hospice for their loving care in her final days.  A private ceremony of Barbara’s life was held in Sonoma, California prior to her cremation.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Hospice by the Bay.

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