Remembering Dave Fields by Sam Lewis, President of TECO

REMEMBERING DAVE FIELDS by Sam Lewis, President of TECO:

...........August 24, 1947-September 5, 2001...........

On Sept. 5th, Clintwood Elkhorn suffered a great loss with the passing of Dave Fields, Chief Chemist and Lab Manager. Although Dave is gone, no one who ever met him can say that he is no longer with us. You see, Dave was one of those people who left a lasting impression on everybody he met. Dave was quiet and unassuming, but he was also a genuinely friendly person. I don't think that I ever heard Dave say a bad word about anyone, and I never heard anyone say anything bad about Dave.

If you ever needed to know about Grundy Golden Wave sports, ask Dave. He was an enthusiastic fan of all sports. But as diehard a Grundy fan as he was, he never missed the opportunity to tell one of his fellow employees about the great job their kids did when they played against Grundy.

We loved Dave because he had a wonderful sense of humor. Dave could not only laugh at you but he could laugh at himself. My favorite Dave quote is "Just think what I'd look like without Diet Coke!"...or maybe: "I'm so hungry I could eat the wheels off a Little Debbie truck!" With a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face, Dave could always find humor and pass it along to his friends.

With a Big Heart, a true dedication to his work and coworkers, and an unwavering wish to serve others, Dave set the standard we all hope to someday achieve. Will we miss him? Absolutely!!! Every day of our lives; but we will never forget him...And we will cherish all he has given each of us.

We at Clintwood Elkhorn are very thankful for the time we had with Dave. We wish it had been longer, but none of us know past this day. He made us smile and for that we will always be thankful.

Remembering my Brother: David Earl Fields

Today marks the 15th anniversary of the saddest day of my life to date. On this date 15 years ago, my brother, and everybody's buddy, departed this life. He took with him a huge chunk of his family's heart and soul....Recalling that when I received the news I cried almost Non-Stop for over a week...

I was about five years older than David, but we graduated from the same Harman School, Grundy High School, Hiwassee Junior College, and East Tennessee State University...Seems that what I did, David did. Remembering that when David was about 8 years old he fell off the concrete wall out from our house at Harman. The same wall I had just jumped off.He landed on his head with a thud and his head swelled to a monstrous size. We took him to Dr. Sutherland and with ice and time it returned to it's original shape...
Scary, like the time he was following me off the hill below our house on his sled. David ran into one of the steel supports on the trestle leading from the #1 Harman mine...David only had a broken arm, but what a scare he gave us.
Jumping ahead to the last time I saw my brother alive. He was standing in the rain at the Grundy Fieldhouse, waiting for his daughter Amanda, who was a Grundy Cheerleader, to say good-bye to her friends...We waved & I yelled that I hoped to see him again soon.
Earlier, I had handled the P.A. duties while David ran the Clock for the football game.(Thinking we won, but not sure. It doesn't matter.)
Move ahead a few days to Monday and I received a call that David was missing. That he had not shown up for work at TECO, where David was the Chief Chemist...My heart skipped several beats...Not knowing what else to do, I traveled to Hurley, looking off the road, a sick feeling in my gut like no other I could remember ever having.
David wasn't home. He wasn't at work...So where was he?
When a deputy pulled up to the gate at CCYC a day later, I knew it had to be the absolute awfullest saddest no good news I'd ever heard...
Deputy Randy Ashby was visibly shaken & I could tell he would have rather been anywhere on the planet, than in my living room..
The 'Only' consolation I have is that when I shared the story of my brother before the Grundy Golden Wave football team the following Friday, I asked them to win the game against Powell Valley for my brother. That his time had run out & that the last time I saw him was just outside the glass doors of the Fieldhouse...
Even though we were a 3 touchdown underdog, The Golden Wave prevailed & I felt like my brother was smiling from heaven...Once again I cried, only Tears of Joy...Such an emotional night.
September is Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month. For those that have lost loved ones in this manner, I'm certain the pain never stops....So wish I had been more alert to the signs & could have prevented his passing...Not a day goes by...
Planning to post what the president of TECO. Sam Lewis, wrote in their Journal just as soon as I can type it..