A Time of Beginning: On July 21, 1959, Frederick Martinez Stephenson was born to the late Reverend Alonzo Stephenson and Mrs. Zedella Trigg Stephenson. Fred was one of four boys born to this union. A middle child and a PK kid led him to earn many nicknames such as 'Dirty Red,' 'Red', and 'Fast Freddy' However, "Tina", affectionally bestowed upon him by his Aunt Dorothy Brewer, was the nickname that stayed with him all of his life and the moniker that many in the community far and wide knew him by.

A Season to Love: On April 8, 2006, Fred married Tammy Hardge Stephenson. A love affair that started when Tammy was fifteen years old and Fred twenty. While life took them on different paths and with different people, they reconnected at the wedding of Fred's cousin in 1999. While no children were born to this union, they were co-parents to his daughter Kristin Rattler and stand-in-stead parents to Tammy's nephew Jayden Hardge. While Fred is no longer physically present with Tammy, their love affair remains intact.

A Time of Christian Foundation: Fred's Christian upbringing was sound and built on a solid foundation. He came from a family whose faith was strong and anchored in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He accepted Christ at an early age at Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church Grand Prairie, TX in the historic Bear Creek community. Later at Greater Allen Temple AME Church (formerly Allen Chapel), he was a member of the Pearlie Rogers Men's Choir and elected as a Trustee. In 2017 he and his wife Tammy joined Trinity Harvest Church in Hurst, TX under the leadership of Pastor Ray Taylor and there he remained a member until his transition.

A Time of Education: Fred graduated from Irving High School in 1977. Upon graduation, he attended Texas A&I – Kingsville on a basketball scholarship. After a coaching change during his tenure at Texas A&I, Fred elected to transfer to Texas Southern University where in 1981 he received a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Arts. Upon graduating he commenced his teaching career at Pinkston High School – Dallas, TX, EH Cary Middle School – Dallas, TX and finally at his junior high school alma mater Crockett Middle School – Irving, TX where he not only taught drafting as a shop-industrial arts teacher but also coached the track team. It was not uncommon for Fred's former students to see him in the community and fondly recall him and for that, he was always truly grateful. While in high school and college, Fred was a great athlete. Under the tutelage of Coach Mike Kunstadt, Fred at the end of his high school regular season in 1977 was ranked #20 for Class 4A schools in the entire state! He played against greats like Cullen Mayfield from Dallas South Oak Cliff (SOC); Ollie Hoops from Dallas Pinkston and Ricky Pierce from Garland. Fred was such a great baller that he is named in the book The History of Texas High School Basketball Volume 2 – 1975 -1979 by Mark McKee. During his collegiate career with the Texas A&I Javelinas under Coach Rich Sheubrooks, Fred was a letter winner for the 1978-1979 season. He played with and formed life-long friendships with Texas A&I basketball teammates Donny Elliott, Bobby Kinzer, and Eric Staten .

A Season of Military Service : Fred enlisted in the Army in June 1985 and was stationed overseas in Germany until he returned to Fort Lee, VA subsequently separating in August 1988 with the rank of SPC – E4. While in the service of his country, Fred received an Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, and Army Good Conduct Medal.

A Season of Community Service: Fred was passionate about the Bear Creek community. It was home and where he felt most connected. He was often seen helping out those who were less fortunate with a few dollars, clothing, or a meal. Fred chose to use his gift of a generous heart and spirit to the West Irving Improvement Association (WIIA). Fred held various positions in the organization including President and Vice President but even when he wasn't an officer, he always made sure that the lawn surrounding the Yellow Building was beautifully manicured. Fred was the guy that you could depend on to be the designated person for scheduled events and to make sure that the facility was cleaned, and trash picked up and disposed of. He was always excited about planning for the Juneteenth events, movie night, and community reunions.

A Season of Passion: Fred was the life of the party and the light in our family. He was the party starter and he knew no strangers! He was a warm-hearted guy who would give you his last dime if he hadn't spent it already! From Dalworth to Mosier Valley to the Hill in Grapevine everybody knew Tina! More importantly, Fred was a person with a strong business acumen who had great customer service skills. As a businessman, he owned his owned trash hauling business in the early 1990s and from there moved to having his own trucking business FMS Trucking until his health issues would no longer allow him to drive and manage his other trucks. Even after he could no longer run his own business, he gladly stepped in to assist his brother Melvin with his trucking company MOS Enterprises. Fred was the quintessential sales guy who could cajole brokers into paying top dollar to MOS Enterprises for moving their freight while simultaneously acting as the dispatcher for the drivers. Everybody loved to talk to Fred because he was quick-witted and funny while still maintaining a professional face for his brother's company. Lastly, Fred was passionate about his truck, clothes, and the Dallas Cowboys! Lord, he loved his 1980 money-green Chevrolet truck! No one could tell him anything about that truck. Often, he would be seen taking a slow roll around the Creek in the truck. Other times he would "mash the gas" and rev the motor to let you know it had some power. Fred was known for his color "coordination" from the hat down to the shoes he was going to match! From the baseball caps to the wide brim hats to the sports jerseys. Fred was a win-lose-tie Dallas Cowboys fan!  Whether there was a winning season or one that bordered on the ridiculous, he remained a steadfast Cowboy fan! DCF4L!

A Season Paused: On January 1, 2021, at 6:20 PM, God whispered in Fred's ear and said come take your rest. Fred asked God not to let him linger nor suffer and God granted his request. Fred knew the Lord and had accepted Christ as his personal Savior. His season on this earth is paused but not forever. As we all know, Fred is merely asleep with the Lord until Christ returns.

"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." – Mark McKee

A Season of Memory: His wife, Tammy Hardge Stephenson; his children Kristin Rattler (Dexter) and Danny Sweat; his grandchildren Adalyn - 'Addy', Dexter, Jr. - 'Deuce' and Nariya. His mother Zedella Stephenson; his brothers Melvin (Cheryl) and Louie; his mother-in-law Imogene Rogers; his in-laws Jerrye Stephenson-Boins (Dwain), Patsy Walker (Tillman); Bill Hardge, Kelly Hardge, Mickey Rogers, and Dorothy Woodard. His nieces and nephews Terry (Brandy), Adella, Kevin (MaShania), Alonzia, Auberia (Veldria), Melvin II, Truman (Sharvonte), Symone, Christian, Jacques, Jayden, Zhane, Zaria, Christian Hardge, Kaven, Savannah, Kasia, Karmen, Kinsley, Jada Kooyman-Hardge, Max Kooyman-Hardge, Shante Pisani, Tyana, Kylah,  Tahara, Baylei, Aubrei, Kaycei, Legend, Legacy, Zane Maxwell, aunts, uncles, cousins and a host of other family and friends.