Fred C. S. Mazoyer

Frederick (Fred) Chester Stevens Mazoyer was born November 22, 1930, in Suffern, NY. He was raised in New York City by his grandparents, Renee & Emile Mazoyer. Since they were originally from France, Fred was raised speaking French and heaven help anyone if they mispronounced a French word!

Fred enlisted in the Army in February 1952 and was a Radio Mechanic. Upon discharge 1953, he transferred to the Army reserve for 8 years and enrolled in Rutgers University to pursue a degree in electrical engineering. It was there, in the ceramics lab, that he met the love of his life, Alice Wietrykowski. After several attempts (he was persistent!) and prodding from her mother to give him a chance, she finally agreed to go out with him, and the rest is history. They were married on June 15, 1956, and were together until her passing in 2015.

Interviews with IBM and, finally, a job offer from Hughes Aircraft brought Fred & Alice to Tucson. During his time at Hughes, he was bestowed an early version of a desktop computer, and thus, the PC Kid was born. Fred’s love for technology led him to be a founding member of the Tucson Computer Society.

As a celebration of their 50 years together, the family took a 4-day cruise to the Mexican Riviera. The family enjoyed shore excursions, delicious food, and the most embarrassing moment of our lives. Among the many of the on-board activities, Fred decided to enroll in the Hairiest Chest contest…which he won! The Tarzan chest beating sealed the deal!

Fred is survived by his sister Margaret Stevens, children Brian (Deborah), Melissa (David) Wilburn, Michael (Brandy), and Karen Tharpe, as well as his beloved cat Stinkerbell. He was blessed with 8 grandchildren – Katherine (Jeff) Mazoyer; Alexander (Kristen), Gregory (Emilia), and Caitlin (Lucas Merbeth) Wilburn; Michael, Jr., Matthew (Kaitlyn), Tucker (Katelyn) Olsen, and Dominic Mazoyer; Alicia (Kevin) Stevens, and Kristina (Alec) Ronstadt. His blessings continued with 6 great-grandchildren – Henry (Alex) Wilburn; Giovanni (Greg) Wilburn; Aurora and Everly Stevens; and William and Eleanor Ronstadt.

Fred and Brian worked together to obtain their SCUBA certification and membership in the Desert Dolphins, which led to many family trips to Mexico in the Winnebago affectionately known as “Thing.” We kids were thrilled to discover that the Easter Bunny still found us in Mexico!

Fred is best known for his quick wit. He even had a reputation at the VA for being “a hoot.” While VA staff were new to his jokes, we kids would roll our eyes. Among his many Fred-isms are:

· I feel more like I do now than I did before.

· To know me, is to love me.

· Are you going to walk to school, or carry your lunch?

· When asked how he was, Compared to what?

· In order to get us kids to finish our meals, Eat every carrot and pea on your plate.

· The ever popular, when he didn’t hear you, Stepped in what?

The world lost a great man on August 17, 2025. He left a lasting impression on anyone he met and will truly be missed. He has finally rejoined his soul mate in Heaven.