Stephen was born September 11, 1983 in Midland, TX. He grew up loving the outdoors and enjoyed spending time in the mountains, hunting, fishing, and camping. Stephen had a heart of gold and one of the greatest rewards in his life was helping others. His mother said he recently volunteered with the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) serving food to the homeless in Atlanta and he told her that it felt good to be able to help others. Stephen was also the proud father to his son Skylar. Stephen served honorably in the Georgia National Guard and courageously completed four combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. During a tour in Afghanistan while on a patrol his unit was hit by an IED. Stephen was sent home to Fort Gordon, GA suffering from posttraumatic stress (PTS), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and depression. Stephen was finding it difficult to get the help he needed, so he and his family were in the process of finding a service dog to help as he struggled to cope with his PTS and TBI. Unfortunately, Stephen lost his battle on July 2, 2015 at the age of 31.
Stephen’s family is currently holding a fundraiser to help cover the cost of his funeral. Please see below for more information if you would like to donate.
