Sunday, June 7, 2009 11:42 PM CDT

BLOOMINGTON -- V.L. “Budd” Fairfield, 82, of rural Bloomington died at 2:49 a.m. Saturday (June 6, 2009) at Heartland Health Care, Normal.

His memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church, rural Downs, with the Rev. Dr. Anet Satvedi and the Rev. Art Runyon officiating. There will be no visitation. Inurnment will be private at Friends Cemetery, Bentown, at a later date. Memorials may be directed to Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church.

Calvert & Metzler Memorial Home, Bloomington, is in charge of arrangements.

V.L. was quite proud that a Fairfield was aboard the ship Speedwell which accompanied the Mayflower in 1620. Due to a damaged keel the Speedwell had to return to England. Then in 1638 aboard the ship Essex, John Fairfield was the first relative to America, landing in Charlestown, Massachusetts Bay Colony. His family branch migrated then to Maine, Ohio, and Illinois in the 1800s. V.L. would be the 11th generation of Fairfield descendants. He was born at home in Emington, on Oct. 31, 1926, to Harry and Sadie Nelson Fairfield. Dr. Richardson presided and midwife Mrs. Telford assisted. He married Helen Louise Skinner at Strawn, on Dec. 24, 1947. She passed away on Oct. 8, 2006. He was also preceded in death by his daughter, Deborah Louise Fairfield, who passed away June 15, 1975. He is survived by a daughter, Rebecca (Brent) McCready and four grandchildren, Benjamin, Sarah, Emily and Molly, all of rural Bloomington.

V.L. graduated from Sibley Community High School in 1944. He then served in the U.S. Army from December 1944 thru November 1946, in units such as the 81st Infantry and later the 405 Military Police Detachment, and also AG-1M, Adjutant General section, 2nd Army Headquarters. If not cancelled out by the A-Bomb in August 1945, the 81st Infantry was one of 17 divisions scheduled to invade Japan.

He completed his B.S. degree at Illinois State Normal University in January 1950. His M.S. degree was also from ISNU, by night study and summer classes, by 1952. He did doctoral-level work with Nova South Eastern University in 1971.

He entered the education profession as an instructor of the social sciences at Kewanee High School in 1950. His various classes included senior American history, American government, world history, economics and sociology. He organized the KHS Geography class program. In education he was an advisory consultant for the Illinois Education Association. In 1954 he served as president of the Kewanee Teacher Association and in the City Citizen Program, where he was selected as teacher of the year. His zeal for presenting living history in the classroom was unrivaled. He had an amazing memory for historical facts and previous students.

In 1962 he was employed as a professional social sciences instructor at Bloomington High School. His various classes included senior government, American history, and world history. In 1964 he was one of 15 select instructors to the Illinois State University seminar to develop the Advanced Placement History Program at BHS. College credit could be earned thus in history which he taught for 20 years until his retirement in 1985. He tremendously enjoyed following the accomplishments of former students. Visiting with them gave him immense pleasure.

In 1986 he was hired by the McLean County Sheriff as a courtroom bailiff officer, serving for 21 years thru 2007 under direction of Sheriffs Brienen, Owens and Emery. Working in the judicial system reinforced his firm belief in democracy.

His joys were history, research, reading and yard work at his rural Bloomington home. He enjoyed his dogs, Cardinal baseball, advocated for the observation of Leif Ericson Day, and closely followed politics. He was historian/organizer of the Abraham Lincoln statue in the new law center building, dedicated in August 1977 and proud of it.

His nearby loving daughter, Rebecca made his last years after the passing of his wife quite pleasant. The four grandchildren, Ben, Sarah, Emily and Molly, were constant joys and pride to him. The unending support of his Bentown neighbors rallied his spirit and gave him strength. The rural Pleasant Grove Methodist Church was a solid support. He imparted many gifts to those who knew him, including a passion for education and lifelong learning. Lastly his best friend in his last years for anything at all was his son-in-law, Brent. Thus family was a mainstay of love and comfort always.