Corey Fields’ wife Laqresha Wilks Fields passed away suddenly on January 6th, 2022. Losing his wife in his arms, the tragedy is immeasurable: “she made me love her, she made me just overwhelmingly love her”. They had moved from Cincinnati to Los Angeles five years ago with their five children Emori,16; Emia,15; Larry, 11; Lacey, 10; and Nature, 6. Motivating each other, the couple always dreamed of having a large and beautiful family, “she was the strength in our family”.

After raising five children, Corey and Laqresha had been working towards laying more permanent roots down in Los Angeles and focusing on Laqresha’s new career path. She was well on her way of following her dreams to becoming a nurse and had been studying to complete her final certification exams. Corey had received the passing results of her exams shortly after her death.

Through grieving, he is juggling childcare and working overtime as a truck driver while accepting the once shared responsibilities of managing the finances and flow of their busy household. With the support of his children, the family is getting by in their new normal but Laqresha’s absence leaves a huge gap. From daily drop offs to work and school, to trying to recreate Laqresha’s famous breakfast sandwiches, Corey explained to his children, “your mama raised all of us”. Her loss was especially felt this Valentine’s Day and milestones for his daughters, like shopping for a dress for a school dance, something Corey struggled to help with. The extra working hours do not leave much time for him to process his loss or spend much time helping the children through theirs.

Any effort to help the Fields family get back onto their feet after this devastating loss and is so appreciated at this time of sadness. Financial support will go towards covering funeral and medical expenses, childcare and special needs resources, daily necessities and mental health care.