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BLOOMINGTON -
Jo Fields - devoted wife and mother, grammy, partner in ministry, crafter, cook, bridge player, camper, teacher, volunteer, music-lover, and dedicated friend to many - passed away on Tuesday, July 10 at the Hospice House of Bloomington Hospital. A long and valiant struggle against esophageal cancer ended a rich life devoted to others. Born in Crawfordsville in 1934, Jo (whose given name was Betty Joan), was raised on the
family homesteaded (1831) by her parents John Hubert and Stella Cord Cowan. She studied elementary education at Indiana University and met her future husband, James Robert (Bob) Fields while working at Battleground church camp. She married Bob, a United Methodist minister, in 1955, and together they served churches in Terre Haute, Kentland, Knox, Kendallville, Elkhart, Huntington, and Warsaw before retiring to Bloomington in 1993. They had four children - Mark, Scott, Lynette, and Kirk. A handmade teddy bear that Jo crafted for youngest son Kirk as a baby led to a decades-long personal business making stuffed animals from a variety of materials including recycled furs and antique quilts. She loved music and the arts, whether performed by family members or her favorite local and touring artists. A clarinet player in youth, she took up the mountain dulcimer later in life. Fanatical about bridge, she played several times a week, and belonged to
several bridge groups (including Bloomington Newcomers); many of those fellow players became lifelong friends. As a pastor's wife, Jo held many official and unofficial roles in the churches they served, and she was also active in Tri Kappa sorority for much of her life. She was devoted to her friends - baking cookies, making a toy, or providing a needed hug to those in pain or need. She and Bob travelled on mission trips to many
places, including Red Bird Mission and Henderson Settlement in Kentucky. They introduced much of the country to their children through family camping trips and continued to travel extensively in retirement, including a much-desired journey to the Holy Land. Jo is survived by Bob, her husband of 57 years; her four children; five grandchildren (Isaac, Bevan, Casey, Harrison, and Jonathan); her brother John; and friends spread
throughout Indiana and around the world. A celebration of Jo's life will be held at 1:00 pm on Saturday, August 4, 2012 at St. Mark's United Methodist Church.  There will be no formal  funeral service or interment. Her ashes will be scattered privately. Jo wished that memorial gifts be made to the Mission Committee of St Mark's Church or to any charity of your personal choice.