Fred "Steve" Stevenson

Left Formation November 16, 2015

From the 95th BG Memorials Foundation Facebook page:

In deep sadness, the Memorials Foundation and the Heritage Association announce that Fred “Steve” Stevenson of Portverville, CA, left formation this morning at age 96. Steve was a member of the 457th Sub Depot and headed the parachute and sewing shop at Station 119. He passed away in Washington.

The fourth of seven children, Steve was born and raised in Great Falls, MT. He learned to fly by the age of 18 and enlisted in the Army Air Corps in Septe...mber 1940 with dreams of serving as an aviator. Steve ended up in England in the spring of 1943 instead as ground crew. He was assigned to the 95th, with which he traveled from Alconbury and Framlingham to Horham. Skilled with a needle, he was chosen to run Station 119’s six-man “sewing detail” (Steve’s words). There, he followed a routine that, along with thoughts of his wife who was expecting their first-born child, kept him busy.

Early on at Horham, Steve adapted the manner by which ear phones were attached to the cloth helmets of the flight crews, relieving intense pressure from the wires being on the inside. His adaptation--what he termed the “sponge deal”--was welcomed by the boys. He was glad to make life a little easier for flyers up against high odds. Precisely because of the risks that airmen faced, Steve and others in his department avoided getting to know the combat crews whom they served so faithfully. As Steve recalled on the phone in June, the boys were just “young fellas out of high school. We’d see them one day, the next day they’d be gone. We didn’t make friends with them on that account.”

Steve returned home in 1944. His experiences with the 95th left an indelible mark on him of service and pride that stayed with him for the rest of his life. He remained close friends with the 457th’s Adam Hinojos and his wife Annie, who lived nearby, and enjoyed attending post-war reunions with them, especially at Ripon (CA). More recently, Steve built a strong friendship with our own Andy Garner of the Heritage Association. Andy published a moving biography of Steve that appeared in the Heritage Association’s spring 2015 newsletter.

Above all, Steve loved his family, who in turn cherished him. He leaves children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and a great-great-grandchild, who will carry his memory forward.