Fielding had the nickname "Frog" from childhood as a result of his playing with frogs. I believe my mother Delores, her brother Rollans, and their kids were the only ones that dared call him this to his face. His name "Fielding" was in honor of the local doctor who delivered him.
He was in the US Navy in the 1930s aboard the USS Saratoga, an aircraft carrier. He was present at at least one of the flights of Amelia Earhart and watched her nose the plane over. He also farmed later in Kansas and Colorado (near present day Boulder and Brighton), was called back into service in WWII, where he was a plankowner on the USS Bunker Hill, another aircraft carrier, with Fighter Squadron 2. He was the catapult Chief and was a Chief Petty Officer (Machinist Mate). He later moved to Arizona where he was a foreman on the Santa Fe Railroad, from which he retired. He was always the first to help, aid, and assist family members whenever and wherever needed. And always reticent to receive any sort of thanks.
He was diagnosed with bladder cancer, requested that no treatment be given as "he had lived long enough." His niece Iris (Bockelman) McNelly assisted him in his day to day living, and made sure his requests were met, and took care of his arrangements: cremation, with inurnment at Williams, Arizona beside his wife. His instructions were: "Have me cremated along with my little dog, "Lady," and when the weather is nice, take my ashes to Williams for burial, and then have a nice picnic." Iris and family fulfilled his last request.
An excerpt from the eulogy written by Iris and and delivered by her and her daughter-in-law Debbie McNelly follows: "We are gathered here today to say goodbye to a wonderful man. He was a friend to all who knew him, and an Uncle and Father figure to many. Fielding was born on October 26, 1910. It seemed fitting that he is laid to rest today, which would have been his 95th birthday. Fielding did not want a funeral service, just a gathering. And he wanted his ashes to be buried next to his beloved Verniece. He also asked that the ashes of his beloved pets, Jeanie, Sissy, and Lady, to be buried with him. Fielding was born in a little settlement near Big Creek, in Neosho County, Kansas. He was the 5th of 8 children. He had three older brothers, one older sister, one younger brother and 2 younger sisters. His father died when he was 11 years old, putting a hardship on an already poor family. As soon as Fielding was old enough he quit school and started working to help out the family. He held many jobs as a youth. At 17 he did farm work in Hepler for $25.00 per month. At 19 he worked stacking and loading sugar in Nebraska, and at 20 he worked in Iowa harvesting wheat. From Iowa he went to Wyoming where he worked in the sugarbeet factory for $25.00 per month. He not only supported himself, but also helped put his younger sisblings through school. He had an especially close relationship with his younger sister, Pearl, whom he called "Perdue", keeping close contact no matter where he was. At age 25 Fielding enlisted in the Navy and served his tour of duty on the USS Saratoga, being discharged 4 years later in April 1939. Fielding later re-enlisted in the Navy after the start of the second World War, in April 1942, and was stationed aboard the USS Bunker Hill [ed note: he was a member of the first crew at the launching of the ship, and was "catapult Chief"] where he served in the Pacific Theater until the close of the war, earning his Honorable Discharge in September 1945. After his Navy time, he went back to Hepler, Kansas, for awhile. That is where his Mother, my Grandmother, Kathern lived until the time she could no longer live alone. He worked his way across the country, doing any jobs he could find. He worked at the Coors Brewery in Golden, Colorado, from 1946-1949, worked in Wichita, and Pittsburg, Kansas, from 1950 - 1952, finally settling in Arizona in 1953. I was only 8 years old then, but I still remember the old green truck piled high with all Uncle Fielding's belongings. in 1954 or '55 he went to work for the Santa Fe railroad, building bridges all over Arizona. He retired in 1975 after 20 years service with them. It was here in Arizona that Fielding met and married Verniece in 1964, and built their home on 5th Street [Williams, AZ]. Verniece died in 1972 with Fielding at her side. Fielding remained in Williams until 1991. He never married again, but found solace with his four legged friends, Jeanie, Sissy, and Lady Dog, all of whom preceded him in death. ...Under that tough exterior, Fielding was a kind, gentle man who had a heart of gold and those who got to know him were not only fortunate, but will miss him terribly. Because Denny's was his choice of restaurants, we thought it would be only proper to go to the Denny's here in Williams to say our final farewell to Fielding. All that would like to join us are welcome.
He was in the US Navy in the 1930s aboard the USS Saratoga, an aircraft carrier. He was present at at least one of the flights of Amelia Earhart and watched her nose the plane over. He also farmed later in Kansas and Colorado (near present day Boulder and Brighton), was called back into service in WWII, where he was a plankowner on the USS Bunker Hill, another aircraft carrier, with Fighter Squadron 2. He was the catapult Chief and was a Chief Petty Officer (Machinist Mate). He later moved to Arizona where he was a foreman on the Santa Fe Railroad, from which he retired. He was always the first to help, aid, and assist family members whenever and wherever needed. And always reticent to receive any sort of thanks.
He was diagnosed with bladder cancer, requested that no treatment be given as "he had lived long enough." His niece Iris (Bockelman) McNelly assisted him in his day to day living, and made sure his requests were met, and took care of his arrangements: cremation, with inurnment at Williams, Arizona beside his wife. His instructions were: "Have me cremated along with my little dog, "Lady," and when the weather is nice, take my ashes to Williams for burial, and then have a nice picnic." Iris and family fulfilled his last request.
An excerpt from the eulogy written by Iris and and delivered by her and her daughter-in-law Debbie McNelly follows: "We are gathered here today to say goodbye to a wonderful man. He was a friend to all who knew him, and an Uncle and Father figure to many. Fielding was born on October 26, 1910. It seemed fitting that he is laid to rest today, which would have been his 95th birthday. Fielding did not want a funeral service, just a gathering. And he wanted his ashes to be buried next to his beloved Verniece. He also asked that the ashes of his beloved pets, Jeanie, Sissy, and Lady, to be buried with him. Fielding was born in a little settlement near Big Creek, in Neosho County, Kansas. He was the 5th of 8 children. He had three older brothers, one older sister, one younger brother and 2 younger sisters. His father died when he was 11 years old, putting a hardship on an already poor family. As soon as Fielding was old enough he quit school and started working to help out the family. He held many jobs as a youth. At 17 he did farm work in Hepler for $25.00 per month. At 19 he worked stacking and loading sugar in Nebraska, and at 20 he worked in Iowa harvesting wheat. From Iowa he went to Wyoming where he worked in the sugarbeet factory for $25.00 per month. He not only supported himself, but also helped put his younger sisblings through school. He had an especially close relationship with his younger sister, Pearl, whom he called "Perdue", keeping close contact no matter where he was. At age 25 Fielding enlisted in the Navy and served his tour of duty on the USS Saratoga, being discharged 4 years later in April 1939. Fielding later re-enlisted in the Navy after the start of the second World War, in April 1942, and was stationed aboard the USS Bunker Hill [ed note: he was a member of the first crew at the launching of the ship, and was "catapult Chief"] where he served in the Pacific Theater until the close of the war, earning his Honorable Discharge in September 1945. After his Navy time, he went back to Hepler, Kansas, for awhile. That is where his Mother, my Grandmother, Kathern lived until the time she could no longer live alone. He worked his way across the country, doing any jobs he could find. He worked at the Coors Brewery in Golden, Colorado, from 1946-1949, worked in Wichita, and Pittsburg, Kansas, from 1950 - 1952, finally settling in Arizona in 1953. I was only 8 years old then, but I still remember the old green truck piled high with all Uncle Fielding's belongings. in 1954 or '55 he went to work for the Santa Fe railroad, building bridges all over Arizona. He retired in 1975 after 20 years service with them. It was here in Arizona that Fielding met and married Verniece in 1964, and built their home on 5th Street [Williams, AZ]. Verniece died in 1972 with Fielding at her side. Fielding remained in Williams until 1991. He never married again, but found solace with his four legged friends, Jeanie, Sissy, and Lady Dog, all of whom preceded him in death. ...Under that tough exterior, Fielding was a kind, gentle man who had a heart of gold and those who got to know him were not only fortunate, but will miss him terribly. Because Denny's was his choice of restaurants, we thought it would be only proper to go to the Denny's here in Williams to say our final farewell to Fielding. All that would like to join us are welcome.
Fielding had the nickname "Frog" from childhood as a result of his playing with frogs. I believe my mother Delores, her brother Rollans, and their kids were the only ones that dared call him this to his face. His name "Fielding" was in honor of the local doctor who delivered him.
He was in the US Navy in the 1930s aboard the USS Saratoga, an aircraft carrier. He was present at at least one of the flights of Amelia Earhart and watched her nose the plane over. He also farmed later in Kansas and Colorado (near present day Boulder and Brighton), was called back into service in WWII, where he was a plankowner on the USS Bunker Hill, another aircraft carrier, with Fighter Squadron 2. He was the catapult Chief and was a Chief Petty Officer (Machinist Mate). He later moved to Arizona where he was a foreman on the Santa Fe Railroad, from which he retired. He was always the first to help, aid, and assist family members whenever and wherever needed. And always reticent to receive any sort of thanks.
He was diagnosed with bladder cancer, requested that no treatment be given as "he had lived long enough." His niece Iris (Bockelman) McNelly assisted him in his day to day living, and made sure his requests were met, and took care of his arrangements: cremation, with inurnment at Williams, Arizona beside his wife. His instructions were: "Have me cremated along with my little dog, "Lady," and when the weather is nice, take my ashes to Williams for burial, and then have a nice picnic." Iris and family fulfilled his last request.
An excerpt from the eulogy written by Iris and and delivered by her and her daughter-in-law Debbie McNelly follows: "We are gathered here today to say goodbye to a wonderful man. He was a friend to all who knew him, and an Uncle and Father figure to many. Fielding was born on October 26, 1910. It seemed fitting that he is laid to rest today, which would have been his 95th birthday. Fielding did not want a funeral service, just a gathering. And he wanted his ashes to be buried next to his beloved Verniece. He also asked that the ashes of his beloved pets, Jeanie, Sissy, and Lady, to be buried with him. Fielding was born in a little settlement near Big Creek, in Neosho County, Kansas. He was the 5th of 8 children. He had three older brothers, one older sister, one younger brother and 2 younger sisters. His father died when he was 11 years old, putting a hardship on an already poor family. As soon as Fielding was old enough he quit school and started working to help out the family. He held many jobs as a youth. At 17 he did farm work in Hepler for $25.00 per month. At 19 he worked stacking and loading sugar in Nebraska, and at 20 he worked in Iowa harvesting wheat. From Iowa he went to Wyoming where he worked in the sugarbeet factory for $25.00 per month. He not only supported himself, but also helped put his younger sisblings through school. He had an especially close relationship with his younger sister, Pearl, whom he called "Perdue", keeping close contact no matter where he was. At age 25 Fielding enlisted in the Navy and served his tour of duty on the USS Saratoga, being discharged 4 years later in April 1939. Fielding later re-enlisted in the Navy after the start of the second World War, in April 1942, and was stationed aboard the USS Bunker Hill [ed note: he was a member of the first crew at the launching of the ship, and was "catapult Chief"] where he served in the Pacific Theater until the close of the war, earning his Honorable Discharge in September 1945. After his Navy time, he went back to Hepler, Kansas, for awhile. That is where his Mother, my Grandmother, Kathern lived until the time she could no longer live alone. He worked his way across the country, doing any jobs he could find. He worked at the Coors Brewery in Golden, Colorado, from 1946-1949, worked in Wichita, and Pittsburg, Kansas, from 1950 - 1952, finally settling in Arizona in 1953. I was only 8 years old then, but I still remember the old green truck piled high with all Uncle Fielding's belongings. in 1954 or '55 he went to work for the Santa Fe railroad, building bridges all over Arizona. He retired in 1975 after 20 years service with them. It was here in Arizona that Fielding met and married Verniece in 1964, and built their home on 5th Street [Williams, AZ]. Verniece died in 1972 with Fielding at her side. Fielding remained in Williams until 1991. He never married again, but found solace with his four legged friends, Jeanie, Sissy, and Lady Dog, all of whom preceded him in death. ...Under that tough exterior, Fielding was a kind, gentle man who had a heart of gold and those who got to know him were not only fortunate, but will miss him terribly. Because Denny's was his choice of restaurants, we thought it would be only proper to go to the Denny's here in Williams to say our final farewell to Fielding. All that would like to join us are welcome.
He was in the US Navy in the 1930s aboard the USS Saratoga, an aircraft carrier. He was present at at least one of the flights of Amelia Earhart and watched her nose the plane over. He also farmed later in Kansas and Colorado (near present day Boulder and Brighton), was called back into service in WWII, where he was a plankowner on the USS Bunker Hill, another aircraft carrier, with Fighter Squadron 2. He was the catapult Chief and was a Chief Petty Officer (Machinist Mate). He later moved to Arizona where he was a foreman on the Santa Fe Railroad, from which he retired. He was always the first to help, aid, and assist family members whenever and wherever needed. And always reticent to receive any sort of thanks.
He was diagnosed with bladder cancer, requested that no treatment be given as "he had lived long enough." His niece Iris (Bockelman) McNelly assisted him in his day to day living, and made sure his requests were met, and took care of his arrangements: cremation, with inurnment at Williams, Arizona beside his wife. His instructions were: "Have me cremated along with my little dog, "Lady," and when the weather is nice, take my ashes to Williams for burial, and then have a nice picnic." Iris and family fulfilled his last request.
An excerpt from the eulogy written by Iris and and delivered by her and her daughter-in-law Debbie McNelly follows: "We are gathered here today to say goodbye to a wonderful man. He was a friend to all who knew him, and an Uncle and Father figure to many. Fielding was born on October 26, 1910. It seemed fitting that he is laid to rest today, which would have been his 95th birthday. Fielding did not want a funeral service, just a gathering. And he wanted his ashes to be buried next to his beloved Verniece. He also asked that the ashes of his beloved pets, Jeanie, Sissy, and Lady, to be buried with him. Fielding was born in a little settlement near Big Creek, in Neosho County, Kansas. He was the 5th of 8 children. He had three older brothers, one older sister, one younger brother and 2 younger sisters. His father died when he was 11 years old, putting a hardship on an already poor family. As soon as Fielding was old enough he quit school and started working to help out the family. He held many jobs as a youth. At 17 he did farm work in Hepler for $25.00 per month. At 19 he worked stacking and loading sugar in Nebraska, and at 20 he worked in Iowa harvesting wheat. From Iowa he went to Wyoming where he worked in the sugarbeet factory for $25.00 per month. He not only supported himself, but also helped put his younger sisblings through school. He had an especially close relationship with his younger sister, Pearl, whom he called "Perdue", keeping close contact no matter where he was. At age 25 Fielding enlisted in the Navy and served his tour of duty on the USS Saratoga, being discharged 4 years later in April 1939. Fielding later re-enlisted in the Navy after the start of the second World War, in April 1942, and was stationed aboard the USS Bunker Hill [ed note: he was a member of the first crew at the launching of the ship, and was "catapult Chief"] where he served in the Pacific Theater until the close of the war, earning his Honorable Discharge in September 1945. After his Navy time, he went back to Hepler, Kansas, for awhile. That is where his Mother, my Grandmother, Kathern lived until the time she could no longer live alone. He worked his way across the country, doing any jobs he could find. He worked at the Coors Brewery in Golden, Colorado, from 1946-1949, worked in Wichita, and Pittsburg, Kansas, from 1950 - 1952, finally settling in Arizona in 1953. I was only 8 years old then, but I still remember the old green truck piled high with all Uncle Fielding's belongings. in 1954 or '55 he went to work for the Santa Fe railroad, building bridges all over Arizona. He retired in 1975 after 20 years service with them. It was here in Arizona that Fielding met and married Verniece in 1964, and built their home on 5th Street [Williams, AZ]. Verniece died in 1972 with Fielding at her side. Fielding remained in Williams until 1991. He never married again, but found solace with his four legged friends, Jeanie, Sissy, and Lady Dog, all of whom preceded him in death. ...Under that tough exterior, Fielding was a kind, gentle man who had a heart of gold and those who got to know him were not only fortunate, but will miss him terribly. Because Denny's was his choice of restaurants, we thought it would be only proper to go to the Denny's here in Williams to say our final farewell to Fielding. All that would like to join us are welcome.
Inscription
Husband and Mother At Rest
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
