Fred Stevenson – Chemist, Photographer and Catholic

Fred Stevenson died in Santa Rosa July 22, 2007, surrounded by
his family. He was the loving husband of Georgia Stevenson for 63
years and beloved father of Rodney Stevenson of Santa Rosa; Mark
Stevenson of Lakeport; Mary Guido of Santa Rosa; and Kathleen
Stevenson of Santa Rosa; and proud grandfather of nine
grandchildren. He was the beloved son of the late Fred E. and Mary
Stevenson. He was preceded in death by brothers, Joseph Stevenson,
Frank Stevenson Sr. and sister, Thelma Stevenson. He was born in
Healdsburg on September 9, 1923. He attended Santa Rosa High
School, Santa Rosa Junior College and the University of California
at Berkeley where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in
Chemistry. He was a member of Alpha Chi Sigma, the chemistry
fraternity, Sigma Xi and Phi Beta Kappa. Starting part-time in his
senior year, he worked, along with Georgia, on the Manhattan
Project separating plutonium at Berkeley and Oak Ridge, TN. In
1946, he returned to Santa Rosa to participate in the family
business at Stevenson Equipment Company. After his partial
retirement in 1995, he continued to sell equipment to and for his
loyal customers and friends until his death. He was an active
convert to Catholicism at St. Eugene’s Cathedral, serving as
president of the Holy Name Society and first Grand Knight of the
Knights of Columbus at that parish. He was president of the Santa
Rosa Rotary Club. He had a lifelong passion for photography, buying
his first camera and building his own dark room at age 14. He also
enjoyed reading and spending time in his woodworking shop, turning
bowls on the lathe and making knives from crosscut saw blades.
During his partial retirement years, he learned the many things
that could be done with a computer. One such project was organizing
about 18,000 family pictures into DVD albums for each of his
children as well as relatives and friends, to be viewed on TV. He
was loved deeply and will be missed by many. A private service was
held at the chapel at Calvary Cemetery in Santa Rosa. Donations may
be made in his memory to: Santa Rosa Memorial Hospice, 821
Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95401.