So much can be said about Edward Fields, an archivist by occupation, but also an archivist in his very nature and soul. Ed was uniquely intelligent, fiercely loyal, driven with an unmatched moral compass and code of honor. He was a mentor, a son, a brother, an uncle, a friend and a colleague. But perhaps the single most important quality that he would tell you defined him was that he was the father of two daughters, Anna Tereza and Rachel Rose. His devotion and love of his daughters was unmatched.

Edward was born in Detroit, Michigan, on Oct. 8, 1952 to Loretta Josephine Tomaszewicz and Charles Edward Fields. Growing up, he described himself as a "latchkey kid," whose family bounced between Michigan, Maine, Florida and Massachusetts.

After years of working with his close friend Jo Jo Salami at Mack Trucks (and living with his beloved cat Jeep), Edward put himself through night school at Harvard University, a crowning achievement for someone who had struggled to make ends meet, and to pioneer a path for himself in education. He was the first of his family to graduate from college and go on to graduate school, and ultimately to pursue a long and fruitful academic career at UCSB as assistant director of the Department of Special Collections at the Davidson Library.

Ed met his now ex-wife, yet still very close friend, Sarah Potok in Somerville, Massachusetts, and after a romance filled with inside jokes, laughter and dreaming, they decided to elope to Geneva, Switzerland, and honeymoon in Paris, France — a story they told their daughters often citing that they were too poor to afford anything but "cheese and chocolate," boo hoo. Ed and Sarah moved to Santa Barbara in 1991, a city Ed had stayed in once when visiting his Aunt Katherine, who lived in Los Angeles. He often described Santa Barbara as a great dream of his, to move to one day, to raise a family. His dream was realized when he was accepted to the UCSB graduate program for East Asian Studies. There, he studied, student taught, and created the life that became so meaningful to his community, his friends and his family. Ed loved being a father. He loved to incorporate dramatized pieces of his childhood into bedtime stories for his two daughters, telling intricately exaggerated tales of the Infamous Turok and Kiowa (characters from comic books he used to "lift" from Joe's Comic book store in Portland, Maine, when he was a kid); tales of his dog Lucky, who traveled with the family by car from Florida to Maine and back; and tales of the strict Jesuit priests who berated him for "intentionally" spilling his JELL-O on the ground in an effort to cause his classmates to "slip and fall." He told beautiful tales of the dragons of Hiroshima, and disgusting tales of lunches he pretended to enjoy, like toenail clippings and cat hair, which his daughters thought were delightfully revolting. He created imaginary monsters like "hook man" and "spoon man," who terrorized his daughters and their friends in a sort of hide-and-go-seek frenzy. There was also the infamous "push monster," a creature he invented so he could innocently, playfully push his daughters off the couch and have someone to blame. He would then go give them a "thrashing," banging on the bedroom walls to teach the monsters a lesson. Not only was Ed a wonderful storyteller, he brought his creativity and his playfulness and inventiveness to all aspects of fatherhood and family life. Family outings consisted of frequent trips to the zoo, natural history museum, beach and boardwalk. He loved to picnic, to cook dinners on the back patio of the family house, and in the quieter moments of life, Ed always had a book in hand. He passed his love of reading to his children, reading books to them all the time, sending books in every package, and reading books with them even when they reached adulthood. In his house, there was less space than there were books. Despite his "stern" looks, Ed's sense of humor and his outright joy in pranks and "trolling" were a defining characteristic. He took great joy in pranking his colleagues and student workers every year for April Fools' Day. He gleefully told his daughters of every prank he pulled off. Ed was a creature of habit, and created traditions that will be carried on in his family for generations. He cataloged pieces of his life in meaningful ways, keeping notes, pictures, and possessions that were truly his treasures. His memory was unparalleled. He remembered every birthday, every holiday, every meaningful date or person in his life, and he made sure to honor them in a special way that no one else would ever think to do. Ed was a dreamer, and he thought often of his future and of living closer to his daughters. He visited often, traveling to Vermont and New York, where he made cherished memories and took many pictures of his adventures. He fantasized about a family home, and a family cafe filled with books and fresh baked bread. He fell in love with Burlington, Vermont, and all the wonderful places he visited there, and had planned to move there when he was ready.

Ed – Daddy – you will be so dearly missed, words cannot describe the hole you have left
in our hearts with the absence of your irreplaceable friendship, guidance and presence.

We love you so, so much.

A funeral mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday, April 26 at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in Santa Barbara.

Arrangements entrusted to Pueblo del Rey Funeral Services