Longtime Summit Resident, Volunteer Dies At Age 92

SUMMIT, NJ — Adelaide Marie Fairfield, a longtime Summit resident, died Nov. 11 in Reston, Virginia from pulmonary complications after she contracted COVID-19. She was 92 years old.

Born in Chicago, Illinois on Dec. 24, 1929, Addy was the only child of Walter P. and Charlotte C. Denis. Upon her graduation from Foreman High School in 1948, she worked in the billing department of the Catholic school division of Scott, Foresman & Company, a textbook publisher. She married in 1950.

With the impending birth of her first child in 1951, she quit to become a homemaker raising her children in suburban Chicago. In 1967 she moved with her husband and three children to Summit, where she continued to reside for the next 53 years.

In 1977, she re-entered the workforce joining the Chubb Insurance Group in its policy production department rising to a supervisory position. She retired after 20 years in 1997. In retirement, she volunteered her time and talent to the American Red Cross of New Jersey, working in its Summit chapter for over 22 years.

During this time, she managed the chapter’s transportation program which provided seniors with free rides to medical appointments. An immaculate housekeeper, Adelaide took pride in the
cleanliness and organization of her multiple households, in particular her single-family home of 44 years on Harrison Court in Summit.

Known as Addy, in her day she was an accomplished bowler but she also enjoyed golfing, skiing, and painting. Addy loved her multiple cats, each named after an Indian tribe, whom she treated as pampered members of the household.

Her marriage to the late John L. Fairfield ended in divorce.

Her immediate survivors include her three children, Jeffrey of Herndon, Virginia, Patricia of Washington, D.C., and John of Brookville, Indiana, together with eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

A remote memorial service for family and friends will occur later this month. Private interment will be at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Chicago.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the American Red Cross or to your favorite charity.