Steven M. Fifield passed April 21, 2026, in his sleep at age 85, after suffering the degenerative effects of Parkinson's Disease for the last 15 years. Steve was the first-born child of Rev. Dr. Harry A. Fifield, beloved minister of First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta and prominent member of the "too busy to hate" progressive Atlanta wing, who welcomed Black protesters with open arms as well as members of The Temple to worship on Fridays and Saturdays until their beautiful synagogue was repaired after its 50-sticks-of-dynamite bombing on October 12, 1958.

Dr. Fifield was a direct descendant of persecuted Huguenots who fled France for Holland when their Protestant friends and neighbors were being slaughtered by the French Catholic forces, and they later immigrated to New Amsterdam (now New York City) as wealthy merchants who shared their wealth by paving a good part of their street (Broadway).

Steve's mother, Margaret McIntosh Fifield, was a direct descendant of the Scottish McIntosh family clan leaders who had been invited by General Oglethorpe to join the 1733 founding of the Georgia Colony at Savannah, thinking their brave Scottish nature would be a perfect defense against hostile Indians, only to later discover the brave Scotsmen preferred the brave Indians to the English settlers, taking wives from among the tribes.

Steve knew from an early age that he had been born gay; and when he first fell in love with a boy from Grady High School in the mid-1950s, the PK (preacher's kid) asked his preacher dad if he might invite his boyfriend to have dinner at home and meet his parents. Dr. Fifield asked his son to give him a week to think it over.

After considerable prayer and Biblical research, the Princeton University trained minister announced to his son, "Who am I to question God Almighty who made you just as you are? It would be an honor and a privilege to invite your boyfriend for a family dinner and to get to know and appreciate someone so close to you that you love."

Steve graduated from Grady High School and entered the Freshman Class at the University of Georgia, where he felt his calling to study drama and acting, leading him to a prominent role in the musical, "Tea House of the August Moon." He was so excited to have been recognized so early for his onstage talents, but a debilitating automobile accident sidelined him and delayed his acting career. He then felt drawn to work at WSB-TV as a canera man and photographic aide to the top news casters of the day. He had already been exposed in his home to the top business leaders and civil rights advocates like Dr. Martin Luther King who called on his dad, so he was quite at ease in helping the TV interviews, done by the anchors for the evening news.

Eventually the acting bug came back knocking, leading Steve to spend time in New York City, and in Los Angeles, and Hollywood, working in films and television and making lasting friends among the stars who appreciated his down-to-earth, friendly nature and his love of life and animals. Inevitably, he also discovered some of the ways that such high-pressured individuals cope with their lives, and the recovery community became especially meaningful to Steve, leading to his multi-decade sobriety.

Steve started his acting career, often in supporting and guest roles, first in movies, such as "Greased Lightning" (1977); "Murder in Texas" (1981); "Forbidden Love" (1982); "Careful He Might Hear You" (1983); "Private Resort" (1985); and "Black Moon Rising" (1986); and also branched out into television with guest appearances in "Three's A Crowd," "The Paper Chase," "Flamingo Road," and "McClain's Law," as well as "Strike Force" (1982), "The Fall Guy" (1982), "Simon & Simon" (1983), "Knots Landing" (1983-84), "Glitter" (1984), "T.J. Hooker" (1986), and "Hunter" (1986). And let's not forget the soap operas: "One Life to Live," "As the World Turns," "Young and the Restless," "General Hospital," "Days of Our Lives," and "All My Children."

In his time between acting jobs, Steve felt the call to devise helpful study programs for fellow actors and actresses, sharing what he had successfully learned in his acting career of the traditional "do's and don'ts," as well as his own unique path he learned from his father's weekly, "on stage"sermons as one of Atlanta's most popular orators, both in church and over WSB Radio every week. Not every aspiring actor has an "acting" (so to speak) father from whom to learn stage presence.

Eventually, Steve felt the call to return to Atlanta, to take care of his aging parents, which he did faithfully until their deaths. When Parkinson's started to affect his ability to live independently, he moved into subsidized housing, and when that needed renovation, his life partner, Damon Zahn, and his sister, Meg Duly, began the long search for adequate housing to provide a safety net for his growing disability from Parkinson's.

Family, dear friends, church members, and the incomparable care provided by Nursecare of Buckhead were his support system until the end of his long life. He will be missed at this dimension, but welcomed in Heaven. He leaves behind his younger brother's recent widow, Mary Rease Fifield; and their children: Megan Fifield Davis and family, Emily Fifield and family, and Harrison Fifield and family; and his sister, Meg's family: James Endicott and family, David Endicott and family; Cathy Endicott Miles and family.

The Memorial Service will be held at Fischer Funeral Care, Saturday, May 2, at 12 PM, 3742 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd., Atlanta, GA 30341, phone: 678-514-1000. Memorial gifts, in lieu of flowers, may be sent to First Presbyterian Church, 1328 Peachtree Street, NE, c/o Pastoral Care Rev. Rob Sparks, Atlanta, GA 30309.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Stephen Fifield, please visit our floral store.