Louise Fielder

1926 - 2022

Louise Fielder
December 29, 1926 - March 11, 2022
Louise Dunn Fielder, a fifth-generation Californian, passed away on March 11 in Palo Alto. Her family arrived in Suisun, CA on a 80-wagon train from Missouri in 1850, and then settled in Vacaville, CA. Louise was born in San Francisco in 1926, a third-generation San Franciscan. She completed her primary education in San Francisco before attending the University of Colorado. Two days after her university graduation in 1949, Louise married William Ridge Fielder, who was attending medical school at the University of Colorado in Denver. Two children were born in Denver - Louis Dunn Fielder and Kathleen Louise Fielder. A third child, William Ridge Fielder Jr., was born at Stanford Hospital in San Francisco. The family spent one year in London, England, while her husband trained at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, 1956 - 1957. They relocated to the Peninsula when Stanford Hospital moved to Palo Alto in 1958.
In 1961 the Fielders established the Lanyon Gallery in the Old Stanford Barn. It became a showcase for European and Contemporary California Art and was managed by Louise until it closed in 1966.
Louise served for 6 years as a trustee of the California Historical Society in San Francisco, and was chair of the Society's Library Committee for many years. During these years, she researched and wrote an unpublished manuscript of 19th century California photographically-illustrated books. Louise also served as a board member of the Committee For Art at Stanford for many years, and organized and managed the Art Department Stanford Treasure Market for 8 years.
Louise was a founding member of the Society for the Encouragement of Contemporary Art at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and was involved at the museum for many years. She was actively interested in art, photography, and rare books, and traveled widely throughout the world with her husband. In later years, they became collectors of ancient Greek coins and were members of the Royal Numismatic Society in London, and American Numismatic Society in New York.
Louise is survived by all 3 of her children-Louis of Millbrae, CA, Kathleen of Portland, OR, and William of East Hampton, NY. With their varied interests, the main focus of life for Louise and her husband was always their 3 children, and later 4 grandchildren - Andrew Richard Gay of Armonk, NY, Kevin William Gay of Brooklyn, NY, and Cameron Ridge Fielder and Sara Wells Fielder, both of East Hampton, NY. She is also survived by a great grandson, Julian Ridge Gay of Armonk, NY.
William and Louise celebrated 56 years of marriage until William passed away in 2005. A private burial will be held for Louise at Skylawn Memorial Park in San Mateo County. She will be buried next to her husband, as loving parents and grandparents.