Cherry Fields

Ruthanna Cherry Dickinson Fields was best known as the center of our family, as Mom, Nana and also Nana to her great granddaughter, also as Aunt, Cousin and Sister, which is the name her younger brother, Ted, later Dr. Ted Dickinson, surgeon, often called her, even as an adult. She was also a teacher, writer, minister’s partner and leader of women’s groups. Cherry, as she was called, a short form of Cherrington, her mother’s maiden name, was born on May 10, 1928 in Champaign, Illinois. She loved to tell about a beautiful, full-size dollhouse she received as a child, made of orange crates, as it was created during the Depression. She and her cousin, Shirley loved to gather annually with their other cousins in the basement of their Grandma Katie’s house for sleepovers.

Even during World War Two, she was surrounded by a loving, if somewhat strict family. Happily, her older brother, John came back home after serving in the Navy to later become Dr. John Dickinson, veterinarian, professor and dean. Cherry was good friends with Mary Alice Blanchard, who she introduced to her brother John. They later married and Cherry felt she had gained a sister. Cherry was a storyteller, a listener and a questioner, saying you could get a lot done by just asking the right questions. She was a loyal friend and put family, friends, service and church first. She followed the Dickinson family crest motto:” To be, rather than to appear to be.”

Cherry earned her Bachelor of Arts through work at Drury University, Springfield, Missouri and later at Transylvania University, Lexington, Kentucky. She met her beloved husband of 49 years, later Rev. Dr. Roy P. Fields, at Drury, after he first had a date with Cherry’s Mom, because Cherry already had a date to a dance with someone else. They married in October of 1948. After completing college, she became a teacher, first at a tiny school in the mountains of Appalachia, where she was called “Miss Cherry”. Roy completed seminary at Lexington Theological Seminary and was ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) as a minister. They served churches together, as they described it, he as the minister and she as a devoted partner: student churches in Kentucky, during which time their first daughter, Katherine Sue Fields Anderson, later dedicated Mom, was born, who very sadly precedes Cherry in death by three days. They later served at Marion Christian Church, Marion, Iowa, during which time, their daughter, now Rev. Deborah Kim Fields-Haley, minister and professor and son, Tim Dickinson Fields, later middle school teacher were born. They moved to Central Christian Church, Boone, Iowa, where son, Douglas Roy Fields, the adventurous one and buider, was born. Then they served at South Broadway Christian Church in Denver, Colorado for a long ministry, Cherry teaching for Head Start and giving birth to their daughter, Cherry Elizabeth Fields Thomas, “our little Bonus” and Mom’s caretaker these last years. Cherry was a leader in women’s programming for the Central Rocky Mountain Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She served as the Regional Representative to the Disciples’ General Board of the denomination for several years. As the first three children left home, Cherry had more time, as Roy pastored First Christian Church, Atchison, Kansas, to take courses and write features articles about historic homes the local paper and to teach again. Cherry and Roy also led Marriage Enrichment Retreats, polishing a Roman Catholic model for Protestants and trained other leaders. The final pastorate was at First Christian Church, Cheyenne, Wyoming, where Cherry served as a Director of Meals on Wheels and tended her rock garden, continued writing and

being involved in church women’s programs, for which she was honored nationally. She was also honored as Mother of the Year for the state of Wyoming. Both Cherry and Roy valued being a part of Friendship Force, creating new international friendships across the oceans. They retired to beautiful Estes Park, Colorado, where Roy worked part-time as a chaplain and Cherry got involved in Newcomers and as a docent for McGregor Ranch. They both loved living in the mountains and never took that privilege for granted.

Through the years they were able to travel, by car as a family, often camping throughout the United States, and as a couple to Israel, Australia, New Zealand and the Fiji Islands, Sweden, Denmark and Norway. Cherry was able to travel to her 49th state, Hawaii after her rubber duck won a charity race along the Big Thompson River in Estes Park, with an all-expense paid trip for she and dear family friend, Maggie Stone. She used to say she never won anything, but Hawaii made up for all of that.

She is survived by her cousins, Leon Cherrington and Shirley Cherrington Nix. She is also survived by four living children, mentioned above and she loved all five. She is also survived by her beloved grandchildren, Erica Anderson, Paul Anderson, Sedona Fields-Haley, Jacob Fields, Katie Fields, Shelby Fields Krause, Kaylen Fields, great grandson, Connor Lane and great granddaughter, Iris Sinkula. In addition, she is survived by niece, Barbara Dickinson Bageant, now librarian, nephew, Tom Dickinson, now documentary writer, Heather Dickinson Exby, now college dean, Jennie Dickinson Tidwell, now corporate executive and Karen Dickinson, now Hallmark leader. Ruthanna Cherry Fields will be deeply missed by so many.

Memorials may be made for: McGregor Ranch, Phillips Theological Seminary or CRMR Women.Send to: c/o Cherry Beth Thomas, 815 Grant St., Longmont, CO 80501. Note Cherry Fields Memorial. Thank you. It would be good for the family and friends of Ruthanna Cherry Fields to stay in touch to keep her love of family and friends alive