Commissioner Field succumbs to pneumonia in Saginaw

A moment of silence will be offered at Friday’s Presque Isle County Board of Commissioners meeting for Don Field of Grand Lake, who served as a commissioner for District 5, representing the people of the Presque Isle area. Field, who practiced law in Rogers City area for a dozen years, passed away last Friday at the age of 60 at St. Mary Hospital in Saginaw. Field was involved in a two-vehicle accident December 4, 2003 in Iosco County’s Burleigh Township. He was northbound on M-65, returning from Bay City, when he collided with a southbound tractor trailer.

The collision caused Field to be ejected from his vehicle. He later had to be transferred to Saginaw where he was hospitalized with severe head and leg injuries. He had been living at the River’s Bend rehabilitation home in Bay City recently, but came down with pneumonia two weeks ago, and was taken back to St. Mary’s August 16. His wife Mary Field said Don was doing well on the day he passed away, smiling at friends and family, and hugged his son Ryan in the hospital room.

“I THOUGHT he was going to be fine,” she said. Mary, who had decided to stay at a motel in the area, was settling in for the night when she received a call from the hospital about midnight, informing her that Don had passed away. “We’re all in shock,” said Mary. Plans were in place to construct an addition to the Fields’ Grand Lake home, and a critical hurdle had just been cleared with the insurance company, so Don could continue the rehabilitation process at a place that was so near and dear to him. A meeting was scheduled in the coming weeks with doctors “to discuss a time frame of when he could come home. I was that close,” Mary said. She said he “put up one hell of a fight. He was a fighter.”

FELLOW COMMISSIONERS respected Field’s knowledge and dedication to the county. “He was a helpful board member,” said District 1 commissioner Bob Schell. “We’ve missed him the last half a year.” “We lost a good commissioner,” said District 3 commissioner Mike Darga, who visited Don in the hospital in February. “He researched everythin

g. He was dedicated to being a commissioner.” Field was praised for his handling of the budget and for assisting in the straightening out of the county’s retirement plan. All four commissioners were expected to attend the funeral service Wednesday at the Beck Funeral Home in Rogers City. Darga was going to ask if the county building flag could be lowered to half staff to honor Don, who had served the county since January 1999. Field also served on the Royal Oak City Council for four years in the early 1970s. He graduated from high school in 1964 and from the Detroit College of Law four years later.

DON MOVED with his wife to Presque Isle County 14 years ago, and loved living at Grand Lake. “He enjoyed the people,” said Mary. The couple owned and operated Northgate Real Estate and became friends with many of the retirees they sold homes to. Mary said one of the many activities Don “was in charge of” was calling some of their friends to watch shooting stars on Grand Lake. The Fields would take their pontoon boat and meet their friends on the lake and tie all of the boats together to “watch the show.” Field had a flair for life and “was happy to be alive,” even after the accident, Mary said. In addition to his wife, he is survived by four sons, a daughter, and a granddaughter.

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