ELIZABETH FARNHAM FIELD
May 8,1926–Dec. 6, 2024
Elizabeth “Liz” Field died peacefully Dec. 6, 2024, at her home in Corvallis, Oregon. She was 98.
A resident of Newcastle, Wyoming, from 1966 to 2006, Liz was active as a leader in Girl Scouting, education, mental health, and civic organizations.
Born Margaret Elizabeth Farnham on May 8, 1926, in Glendale, California, Liz was the daughter of two physicians. She and her two sisters, Jean and Susie, had a childhood where the hardships of the Great Depression were tempered by a loving family. She loved the family’s string of unusual pets, many of which arrived in lieu of payments to her doctor parents.
Liz lost her dad to heart disease when she was 19 and her mom to cancer when she was 23. When her mom died, Liz and Jean shared responsibility as the primary guardians of 16-year-old Susie.
Following high school at Herbert Hoover High in Glendale, Liz studied at Western College for Women, in Ohio, Glendale Junior College, and UC Berkeley, earning her bachelor’s degree in physical education from Berkeley in 1948.
At Berkeley, she met Peter Field, a World War II veteran and forestry student. Liz and Pete married in 1950
in Glendale.
Liz and Pete settled first in Dinuba, California, and lived there from 1950 to 1961. In Dinuba, Liz and Pete had two children, Christopher, born in 1953, and Lisa, born in 1955. Pete’s dream was to own a sawmill. He worked to learn the business at Ivory Pine Company in Dinuba. Liz focused on raising the kids and nurturing her lifelong interest in psychology.
After Dinuba, the family moved three times, to Flagstaff, Arizona, Afton, Wyoming, and finally to Newcastle. With each move, Pete got closer to his dream of owning a sawmill. Liz managed growing kids through the usual chaos, with dogs,
cats, and horses all complicating the picture.
The family arrived in Newcastle just before the end of 1966, when Pete started as the general manager of Berman Lumber Company. He realized his dream of owning a sawmill shortly thereafter, when he purchased Berman Lumber, creating Cambria Forest Industries.
In Newcastle, Liz’s initial focus was on the kids, then in grades five and seven. She was active in Girl Scouts, helping expose a generation of Newcastle girls to camping and comradeship, especially in a new camp at Redbird Canyon. Liz taught girls’ physical education at Newcastle Junior High in 1969-70 and 1970-71, but by that time, her heart was more in leadership than in classroom teaching.
In 1972, Liz was elected to the Newcastle School Board and later appointed to the Wyoming State Board of Education. She loved both posts, where she pushed for a teaching philosophy focused on stimulating curiosity and de-emphasizing rote learning.
Liz was always active in the Weston County Historical Society and served for many years on the Northern Wyoming Mental Health Board. She was a dedicated member of the Weston County Library Board and a lifetime member of the Newcastle Twenty-first Century Club. Liz was also active in Wyoming Democratic Party politics. In everything she did, Liz focused on encouraging young people to read widely, think critically, and find their own passion.
In 1988, Pete sold the sawmill, giving him and Liz the freedom to travel and relax. They loved trips to Europe, China, Africa, and the (then) USSR. They also loved spending time with family and at their properties in coastal Oregon and in the central Black Hills, on Castle Creek.
After Pete died, in 1998, Liz stayed in Newcastle for several more years, enjoying the company of a circle of close friends, including Lucille Dumbrill, Bunny Shirley, Dode Voss, Quindred Albert, and Georgia Ratigan.
In 2006, Liz moved to Rapid City, South Dakota, to be closer to Lisa. In 2012, Liz and Lisa moved to Corvallis.
Liz is survived by her children, Chris and Lisa; her grandchildren, Peter, Teresa, and Russell; and her great-grandson, Conway.