Former Stafford Supervisor Peter Fields dies

Stafford County officials tonight announced the death of a former member of its Board of Supervisors.

Peter Fields, who represented the county’s George Washington District from 2000 to 2007 died Wednesday of complications of cancer.

Most recently, Fields worked as a musician at United Church of Christ of Fredericksburg.

“We as a church wanted to do the Go Fund me to assist Pete in his first treatment of his cancer diagnosis. Then just two weeks ago he shared with us during our Zoom church service that he needed further treatment, one that he had pushed off because one of the side effects could cause neuropathy in his hands and he feared losing his ability to play music…that was his life.  This past Sunday we as a church voted to continue to gift him the same amount as his pay for three months and then we would re-assess.

Pete’s death caught us by surprise!

Pete had a great sense of humor and one gig that he lived playing across the country was a play titled: A Romp Around  Uranus.  He played Captain Satellite.  It was such a fun play.”

— Valerie Hopson-Bell

The Stafford County Government sent a press release Friday afternoon noting Feilds’ death.

Officials state:

Stafford County mourns the passing of former Supervisor Peter J. Fields. Fields represented the George Washington District on the Board of Supervisors from 2000 to 2007, and was elected by his peers as Chairman in 2003. Fields was a strong proponent of slow growth, supporting many of the measures the Board has taken in recent years to preserve open areas. A professional classical guitarist, Fields was known as a very well-read and kind man.

“On behalf of the Board and the citizens of Stafford County, I extend our deepest condolences to Pete Fields family,” said Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Crystal Vanuch. “It takes a lot of dedication and time to serve as supervisor for two terms and we greatly appreciate Mr. Fields’ service.”

Fields supported charging fees to developers based on the impact on traffic. As well, he was an early proponent of removing environmentally sensitive areas from housing-density equations, raising proffers for rezoning’s, raising project review fees for developers and cutting densities in half on projects where housing was not clustered to preserve open space.

“It is evident that Pete Fields really cared about the George Washington District as well as the county,” said Supervisor Tom Coen, George Washington District. “Mr. Fields clearly loved his adopted home of Stafford County. He invested his time and attention into making it a better place through his work on the Board and his volunteer activities.”

A Go Fund Me page called “Keep Pete Playing” details the former supervisor’s love of music. The funds raised were used to treat Fields’ cancer, said Hopson-Bell.