Eugene Fields

Eugene William Fields (Gene), the son of the late John R. Fields and Beatrice Gardner, was born on March 27, 1941, in Jacksonville, Florida and passed on August 20, 2022 in Pickerington, Ohio. Gene graduated in 1959 from Matthew W. Gilbert High School in Jacksonville and was voted “Most Handsome” by his senior class. A few years after graduating from high school, Gene relocated to Columbus, Ohio where he received his undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University and a master’s degree in Personnel Administration from Ohio University. Gene worked for Western Electric and later transferred to Bell Systems Training Center in Dublin, Ohio. At Bell Systems, Gene joined the Central Ohio Minority Affairs (COMAR) as an Equal Opportunity Coordinator. In this role, he trained more than 100 minority high school students how to navigate corporate culture and equipped them with tools to advance and grow their careers. At the age of 41, Gene started Gene’s Enterprises, an investment company that bought, renovated, and leased homes on the near East Side and Linden Area of Columbus, where he partnered with the Columbus Housing Authority to provide affordable housing. Gene also served as a substitute teacher with the Columbus Public Schools system. He was a spokesperson for the Alzheimer's Association and was featured in a national TV interview along with his wife Carol, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2006. Gene was an avid marathon runner and participated in over 50 local & national marathons. Gene was preceded in death by his loving wife, Carol Ann Fields; son, Gary Fields; daughter, Sharyl Fields. He is survived by his daughter, Licia Reggins; son, Derrick Fields (Donnetta); sister, Brenda J. Dunlap; sisters-in-law, Jacqueline Marshall, and Virginia White; grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews; many cousins & friends in Columbus, California & Florida; special friend & caregiver, Michael Casey. Gene will be remembered as a charmer with a great sense of humor, a risk taker, his business savviness, and for his passion to help others. “Eugene will be missed. May he soar on the other side!”