Eugene A. Field,

Jan.20, 1941 — Jan. 20, 2013

A Memorial service will be conducted on Saturday, Jan. 26, for Gene Field, who died peacefully in Hughson. He was born in Nappanee, Ind., on Jan. 20, 1941, and was the eldest of three sons of Howard A. Field and Miriam E. Grasz. His family moved to Turlock in 1941 and in 1950 to Fresno, where he graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1959.

Mr. Field earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in biology and master’s degree in botany, as well as a teaching credential at Fresno State University, Fresno. While in college from 1959 to 1967,he worked at Tuolumne Meadows Lodge in Yosemite National Park in the summers where he met his future wife, fellow employee, Anne E. Healy.

After college, he sailed to Australia in 1967 where he taught science for three years to high school students at Westminster College, a private boy’s school in Adelaide, South Australia. In 1968 he married Anne and they had two children.

He returned to California in 1970, and the following year moved with his family to Patterson where he taught biology at Patterson High School from 1971 to 2004. Beginning in 2003, he taught biology for Modesto Junior College and ran the Patterson Adult Education Program from 1986 to 2012. In 1994 he was awarded the School Bell Award for Stanislaus County. In 2004 he received the Stanislaus County Teacher of the Year award as well as the AMAE Award from the Association of Mexican-American Educators.

Mr. Field enjoyed his years of teaching, as well as many hobbies: photography, gardening, growing palm trees and raising chickens and parakeets. He was an avid genealogist and spent many years with his daughter working on his family history and maintaining a family webpage. He traveled to many destinations including Australia, the South Pacific, Hawaii, Costa Rica, China, New Zealand, Brazil, and Europe. He also traveled extensively around the U.S. His favorite places were Death Valley, the Southwest and Indiana to visit family.

Mr. Field was preceded in death by his parents and brother, John W. Field. He is survived by his children, Lucie of Patterson and Victor of Murphy’s, Ca., a brother, Dennis “Pody” Field and his wife, Cathy of Kingsburg; sister-in-law Diane Field of Montreal, Canada; two nieces, Suzanne Field (Jimmy McColery) of Alameda and Clover Still (Preston) of McCall, Idaho.

Burial will be at the Patterson District Cemetery. The memorial service will be conducted at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan.26 at the Patterson High School Auditorium, 200 N. Seventh St.

Instead of flowers, the family requests donations in Mr. Field’s name be sent to Yosemite Conservancy, www.yosemiteconservancy.org, or Patterson High School’s P.R.I.D.E. for a memorial scholarship in the name of Eugene Field, PO Box 1543, Patterson, CA 95363. Please include a note with his name.