Edwin James Stevenson

LT. Edwin James Stevenson, 90, Born June 19, 1925 in Buffalo, New York, to Stanley Stevenson and Ruth Bauer Stevenson. He lived and attended schools in Buffalo and attended the University of Buffalo in New York.
He was a commissioned officer in the Army Air Corps as a navigator on the B-17 Flying Fortress from 1943-1945. Toward the end of WWII, his unit was responsible for providing food drops over various cities in Europe. A fond memory was when he got to fly on the B17 for his 80th birthday. After the flight he conversed with other WWII Veterans. During their discussion, it was discovered that his unit was responsible for a food drop which saved the life of one of the men he was speaking to and hundreds of others who were suffering from starvation. He continued to serve his country in the Air Force Reserves until 1959, during which he was called to serve in the Korean War, flying on the B29 Super Fortress out of Okinawa.
Edwin married Marie Leslie Wenner also of Buffalo, New York, on Sept. 21, 1946. They had three daughters.
After moving to California in June of 1957, Edwin became employed by North American Aviation later known as North American Rockwell, Rockwell International, then Boeing, as a mechanical design engineer in El Segundo, CA. Programs he worked on until he retired in July 1989, include: Mercury, Gemini, XB70 Valkyrie, Apollo, Space Shuttle, and the B-1B. He received a Pride Award for his design of the B-1B engine lift handling adaptor.
Edwin was called to his eternal home on May 14, 2016 during the 3rd inning of the Angels game, which the Angels won. He was an avid fan of the Angels for many years. He is survived by his three daughters and their husbands: Elva and Ronald Hansson, Karen and Stephen Yturralde Sr., Leslieann and Al Ybarra; nine grandchildren: Lynnette, Deanna, Stephen II, James, Sarah, Robert, Krista, Cherie, and Laura; ten great grandchildren: Moira, Hayli, Nicholas, Heather, Hannah, Kathrine, Leila, Dean, Kylan, and Coraline; his longtime girlfriend, Betty Wehoffer, and many other family and friends.
Ed loved to craft various projects on his shop smith. He remodeled his kitchen, built a patio, built a playhouse for his daughters, made all the great-grandchildren a combination stool and chair for their first birthday. He lived behind a school and made various things for the teachers such as blocks and small Christmas trees as well as many other things. He loved to work in his garden. He bowled for many years and played golf.
The family held a lovely graveside service on Friday, May 20, 2016 complete with full military honors.