AUSTIN, Texas — William Robert “Bill” Fields,
former CEO and President of Walmart Stores Division passed away on February 16, 2020, at the age of 70. Born in Ft. Worth, Texas, on September 11, 1949, Bill grew up in Texas in a rather ordinary life, yet Bill was meant for bigger things. When his pharmacist father, Charles Donald “Don” Fields, died at an early age, Bill’s mother, Willie Hayden Ladd Fields, moved Bill and his siblings – Sarah and Charles – first to Missouri and then to Bentonville, Arkansas, where Bill attended high school, lettered in baseball, and graduated from the University of Arkansas with a degree in Economics. Upon graduation, the United States Army recruited Bill during the Vietnam War, where he served honorably, achieving the rank of Lieutenant while training the Army’s military police.
After receiving an honorable discharge from the Army, Bill was planning to enter a training program with Sears when Walmart founder Sam Walton recruited Bill as his Assistant to the Chairman. Bill served as Sam Walton’s right hand on a wide range of issues, from managing daily sales reports to traveling with Sam to his and his competitors’ stores. Bill Fields and Walmart founder Sam Walton shared a simple yet powerful mantra: “Making the ordinary extraordinary.”
Bill’s rise within the Walmart hierarchy was meteoric: Divisional Merchandise Manager, VP Merchandise Systems, SVP & General Merchandise Manager, EVP Merchandise & Sales, and ultimately President & CEO of the Walmart Stores Division. In that role, Bill led more than 2,000 stores and 600,000 associates. And along the way, Bill championed the company’s move to an Everyday Low Prices model.
After leaving Walmart, Bill served as Chairman & CEO of Blockbuster Entertainment Group and President & CEO of Hudson’s Bay Company. Bill held board positions with many Fortune 500 companies and several private equity firms. Most recently, Bill and his wife, Lucia Fields, founded Fields Texas Ltd, a private investment and retail advisory firm that included a China-sourcing component. Bill also served as a Key Corporate Advisor to FutureHealth Alliance, LLC and Origenetics, LLC, where he and Lucia partnered together to pool their business acumen and medical expertise to develop a group of industry-leading regenerative medical organizations, including products that focus on bridging the gap between current health solutions and cutting-edge health care.
Bill was known for the twinkle in his eye and a crooked smile that betrayed his mischievousness. He loved practical jokes and he was incredibly generous to his friends. For someone who accomplished so much in his life, Bill was remarkably humble. Ask him what he did for a living, and Bill would likely tell you he was “a simple shopkeeper.”
Bill died doing what he loved, working to make the world a better place. William Robert “Bill” Fields is survived by his sister, Sarah Redfield; his son, Justin Fields and Justin’s wife Megan; his wife Lucia Fields and their children, Slaten and Riatta; his nephews Charles and David Redfield and his niece, Charlotte Fields; and countless friends around the globe.
A memorial service will be held in honor of Bill’s life on Saturday, February 29th, at 2 p.m. at the Weed-Corley-Fish Lake Travis Chapel, 411 Ranch Road 620 S, Lakeway, Texas 78734. Texas barbecue will be served immediately after. In lieu of flowers, the family has set up the Bill Fields Memorial Fund. The fund will disperse donations to three of Bill’s favorite charities: Arkansas Children’s Northwest Hospital, Austin Pets Alive, and the Shanghai Sunflower Foundation, fighting the coronavirus in rural China.
Contacts: For Donations: Douglas Keyston, Douglas.Keyston@morganstanley.com.