Hilda Fields Smith

Hilda May Fields Smith of Wilmington, North Carolina, died on Friday June 16, 2017. Mrs. Smith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on July 2, 1928, to the late Della Stanley Fields and the late Robert William Fields. She is predeceased by her husband Frank Lee Smith, with whom she lived many happy years in Bedford, VA. She is predeceased by her sister Evelyn Fields Alford (James) of Charlotte, NC, brother Warren Duval Fields (Jane) of Lynchburg, VA, and brother-in-law James K. Walker (Dawn) of Forest, VA.

She is survived by two daughters, Regina and husband Lee Steeneck of St. James, NC, and Susan and husband Chuck Keener of Kure Beach. NC, one son, Patrick “Lee” Cundiff and friend Kathy Muller of Danbury, CT, and two grandsons, Bradley Steeneck and Darren Steeneck. She was a wonderful Mother, Grandmother, and Mother-in-law and will be greatly missed. She is survived by two sisters, Dawn Fields Walker of Forest, VA, and Gayle Hall (Kenneth) of Lynchburg, VA, and one brother Robert Fields, Jr. (Nelda) of Lynchburg, VA, as well as a number of nieces and nephews. The family would like to thank the staff of Trinity Grove Nursing Home, Wilmington, NC, for the excellent care they provided the past 5 ½ years and especially for their hospice care.

During her years of employment, Mrs. Smith established record keeping procedures and department policies and guidelines in hospitals located in Virginia, California, and Alabama. She held an Associate in Arts degree from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, was a member of the Health Information Management Association of Chicago, Illinois, and the Virginia Health Information Management Association. She successfully completed a program for certification as an Accredited Medical Records Technician, and passed the National exam given in 1968 by Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She was a lifelong supporter of quality and standards in medical record practices, and was employed in general and psychiatric hospitals from 1953 until 1988.

During retirement, Mrs. Smith enjoyed several part-time jobs including Census Taking and Airport Security (pre-TSA). She had interesting stories of her encounters with the public during these jobs. For many years, she was a loving care giver to both her mother Della Fields and her husband Frank Smith. Mrs. Smith was a great cook and she wrote a cookbook with her sister Evelyn. She loved genealogy and did extensive research on her family background. She loved to travel, be outside in the sun and by the water, dance, play cards, attend plays, paint, and spend time with her family. She was an avid supporter of all of her children’s and grandchildren’s endeavors.

In keeping with Hilda’s wishes, rather than mourn her passing, the family will receive friends and family at a Celebration of Life Saturday June 24, 2017 at The Neighbors Place, 104 Paulette Circle, Lynchburg, from 5:00 to 7:30. Per her wishes, there will be a private memorial graveside for the immediate family only. Interment will be at Spring Hill Cemetery, Lynchburg, VA.

In lieu of flowers, Mrs. Smith had asked that memorial contributions be made to the Lutheran Services Carolina (LSC) c/o Trinity Grove Neighborhoods A & B, P.O. Box 947, Salisbury, NC 28145, or to American Health Information Management Association Foundation (ahimafoundation.org, 312-233-1131), 233 N. Michigan Ave., 21st Floor, Chicago, IL. 60601, or to the charity of your choice.

Tharp Funeral Home, Lynchburg, is assisting the family. To send condolences please visit obituaries.tharpfuneralhome.com.