Mr. Milton B. Fields

FIELDS, Mr. Milton B. - Age 93, passed away Saturday, March 2, 2024 at Hurley Medical Center. Family hour 11:00 AM Saturday, March 16, 2024 at New Jerusalem Full Gospel Baptist Church, 1035 E. Carpenter Rd., with funeral service commencing at 12:00 PM. Rev. Rodney Williams, officiating. Pastor Alfred L. Harris Jr., Host Pastor. Interment Flint Memorial Park Cemetery, G-9506 N. Dort Hwy., Mt. Morris, MI. Friends and pallbearers will assemble at the church 11:00 AM Saturday. Mr. Fields will lie in state in the chapel of Lawrence E. Moon Funeral Home, 906 W. Flint Park Blvd., and may be viewed Friday, March 15, 2024 from 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM, with family present from 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM to receive friends. Mr. Milton Fields was born June 20, 1930, the oldest, of Rev. Anderson and Jemima Fields. He was born in Damascus, Arkansas. They lived in a closeknit community and for many of his formative years Milton was raised by his grandparents Milton and Leola Fields, who lived just a few houses away from the rest of the family. He joined his parents and siblings when they moved to Flint, Michigan in 1967. Milton studied agriculture at a university in Arkansas, before joining the army, where he travelled the world, including Paris, France and Germany and faced gunfire and explosions in North Korea during the Korean War. After serving five years, he was honorably discharged as a Corporal in 1954. While in the army Milton saw a photo of a beautiful woman on the nightstand of one of his barrack’s roommates. It turned out to be the sister of what would turn out to be his lifelong friend Carlton McKinney, Jr. He asked if he could write her and Carlton gave his permission. He and Jollie McKinney wrote love letters to each other for five years, saw each other twice and on Milton’s third trip to Sequin, Texas he married her in a lovely wedding ceremony, and they moved to Flint, Michigan to start their life together. They went on to raise three daughters and to enjoy grandchildren and great grandchildren. He kissed her every night before he went to work third shift and GM’s Truck and Bus Assembly plant. He also enjoyed attending church with her as a long-time member of New Jerusalem. They had a very romantic, loving, supportive marriage for 62 years before Jollie preceded him in death in July, 2015. Milton loved to travel. He had promised Jollie’s father that he would regularly bring her back to Texas to visit him and her brothers and sisters. And every two years he would take her back to visit family in Seguin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, San Antonio and later Houston after his middle daughter and grandson moved there. He also took the family on fun vacations across Canada, including Montreal, Toronto and Niagara Falls. There were also trips to Disney World and Sea World for the grandchildren. And he was there for college graduations in Chicago, New Orleans, Lansing and Ann Arbor, MI. Milton also loved to bar-b-que. He enjoyed sitting on the patio, listening to blues tapes and taking his time basting the ribs. In his elder years he continued his love of blues music on the television music channels. He liked to reminisce about times as a young boy when he would go to town to see westerns at the movie theater. He continued enjoying his westerns throughout his life. His favorite character was “Mr. Dillon” from the long running series “Gunsmoke.” Many people looked up to Milton for being a genuinely good person. When you looked up the word integrity in the dictionary, there’s his picture. He was a very responsible man, who looked after his wife, children and grandchildren and his brothers and sisters and their children, and they looked after him. Milton and his siblings formed a club to take care of their parents and to plan family reunions to remain close with their family. Milton was known for his great sense of humor. He had a great laugh and enjoyed joking and making others laugh. He could tell great stories about his experiences in life and also imparted pearls of wisdom. Mr. Milton B. Fields leaves to cherish precious memories: 3 beloved daughters, Denise Isom (Jerry) of Flint, Twp., Shirley Fields of Houston, TX, and Dr. Arlesia Welch (Robert) of Daytona Beach, Florida; 3 grandchildren, Preston Fields (Kathy) of Houston, TX, Dr. RaShawn Venerable (Amanda) of (Onsted, MI) and Kelly Venerable of Flint Twp, MI; bonus grandchildren, Jerry Isom and Kenyatta Walters of Michigan; great-grandchildren, Colette, Stephen Milton, and Gabriel Venerable of (Onsted, MI), Ryan and Taylor Fields of Houston, TX, and Kayla Webb of Flint Twp; great-great-granddaughter, Trinity Fields of Houston, TX; sisters-in-law, Myrtlene Fields and Jimmy Fields of Grand Blanc, MI, Mary Jewell Clancy, Goldie May McKinney and Merzell McKinney, all of Texas; brothers-in-law, Samuel Walker of Michigan and Carlton McKinney, Jr of Texas; close nephew, Alvin Brown, Jr.; a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Mr. Fields was preceded in death by his wife, Jollie; parents, Pastor Anderson and Jemima Fields; sisters, Evangelist Bethelee Walker and Ann Horton; brothers, Willie, Wade, Porter, Amos and Curtis Fields; sisters-in-law, LaVern, Shirley, Melvina, Ollie, Louise, Mildred, Neva, Lola, Gloria, and Betty Lou; brothers-in-law, Robert, John Clancy, John Nelson, Artha, and Clifford, Marvin, Charles and Matthew McKinney.

Mr. Milton B. Fields

June 20, 1930 - March 2, 2024